When Linod finally halted his work Nathan spoke up again. “Well now what?”

Linod, “We have helped the land in its healing but this can only go so far. Let us move inward against the amalgam before it can sicken this land again. Be careful it may still strike against us.”

For a moment Nathan was still but then moved forward to take the lead. “That was impressive. We had resorted to fire to cleanse this land of the Amalgam's taint. The fact that you can direct the forest's natural energies to help heal the land directly is very useful.”

Linod, “You seem to often believe that you must do everything yourself however the forest wants to be healed as well. Don't forget that in this she is your ally.”

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Maria wasn't certain of what she should be doing at the moment at least not entirely as she moved about the battlefield. She had trouble locating the kobolds. They seemed to be hiding within the mountain and relying upon the earth to do the fighting for them. As she completed another circle though something caught her eye. It was a strange alter of simple and rather gruesome make. While lacking in training as far as shamans went she was also fairly certain it was meant to aid the Amalgam. Even with her roll being only for observation she quickly chose a path of action and lashed out at the alter. The moment her claws met with the centerpiece of the alter she felt as if her fingers had been covered in a thick tar though the only thing that happened was the shattering of the centerpiece. The feeling actually prompted her to hasten her movement as she felt an energy building up within the area.

There was no great eruption of sludge or some horrific monster appear behind her though. As Maria moved beyond the alter she did feel a wave of sickness but that quickly passed and she risked looking back at the alter. The shattered centerpiece set there motionless the entire setting apparently unchanged at first. After a moments more observation however Maria noted how the stone seemed to darken and begin cracking. She heard a slight hissing which prompted her to move further away as whatever energies that were either within the alter or traveling through it seemed to respond to the damage.

It was in this moment that Maria finally got the response she was waiting for. She found herself moving again as the ground attempted to open up beneath her though far too slowly for her to fall into the opening. Even as her foot landed though she could feel the earth shifting beneath her feet as it tried to attack her. Whatever was directing the stone couldn't move it quickly enough to match Maria's speed though and before the ground could even begin to open up she was moving once again. This brought a smile to her face as she realized she had indeed angered something by destroying the alter. The thought of finding more entered her mind but the sound of movement told her that wouldn't be possible.

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Qulex was one of the Amalgam's new breed and one of the earlier ones or at least relatively close to the new type of kobold. He had been made before the acquisition of the mage and thus was less refined then the current ones. During that time things had been very hit or miss in their development and few had been truly successful. The new ones seemed gifted with a strength beyond his as well an added benefit the mage had given them. However, he was older then the newer ones and had enough time to truly learn the ways of a shaman. That and his greater intelligence as compared to the other kobolds was of great benefit and put him above even those of the new breed though he wondered if he would lose that status with time. He would have to prove himself while he could so that he didn't run the risk of being cast aside like the others and on this day he intended to do so.

The kobold took a moment to glance to his sides and behind him. Some of the strongest kobolds stood amongst him. Those capable of becoming shaman and those of the new breed. They were all extremely intelligent especially amongst their own kind and unlike the typical kobolds did not rely upon swarm tactics to win. Now he raised his hand and brought the protective layer of stone that covered the entrance up. “Those who have wings take flight those who must stand enter the shadows and do battle. The giant must fall for us to stand remember she is but a creature of flesh needing to breath as much of any of us. Deprive her of that air, poison that air and she will fall we must remain standing though.”

With instructions from their leader the kobolds began to take flight. Qulex was one of the first to do so calling upon the wind to help push him into the air and make up for his limited wing span. Unlike the new breed his wings weren't sufficient to allow for flight without the aid of magic yet with his magic he was easily the most capable of them all in the air. A fact that he proved by allowing the new breed to take the lead before passing them all up as he left the opening and moved into the air out of the reach of the beasts and the restrictive barrier. Their enemies were more powerful then them on the earth but with their master's blessings the kobolds were no longer bound to the earth and that was something they intended on using.

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Zarena had felt a surge of energy coming from the mountain and wished to intercept. However, the earth had prevented her from doing so and all she could do was roar in frustration as she saw the kobolds taking to the air. This encouraged her at the same time though as she was realized that the kobolds had now left the safety of their mountain. This either meant they had a trap of some type to make use of or they were becoming increasingly desperate. In either case that wold make them more dangerous and Zarena knew she had to protect her sisters. She was a bit surprised whenever she saw a blur rush towards the kobolds at which time several of them came crashing down from the sky. Memories of an exceptionally speedy sister crossed her mind as she realized who it was.

That had been frustrating. Maria had did what she could in order to take down as many kobolds before they could make their way out of the opening but she had her limits. They were too many to take down in a single wave and they were taking flight at an exceptional rate. She had valuable information though and began to make her way towards the one person who she felt would be able to find the alters. The ground still moved to stop her but by now it had only become a game to the exceptionally speedy sister as she easily adapted to the shifting ground while approaching Zarena. As she neared the sight of some blood on Zarena's ears presented a problem.

There was a great deal of happiness when Zarena saw Maria running towards her but as she saw her sister moving she realized Maria was speeding up apparently to run past her while at first it appeared Maria had something to tell her. The condition of her own ears brought Zarena to a sudden realization. She still couldn't speak with her sisters as she has burst her own eardrums. Whatever information Maria had she couldn't relay it to her and was most likely on her way to inform the others of what she'd found. It was  a moment of frustration for Zarena as it showed her exactly how much the enemy had handicapped her in this battle.

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Flora took in a deep breath as she looked to the sky and the flying kobolds. Their brothers had entered into the shadow realm along with the orcs in order to confront them. The sisters for their part were far better conditioned for fighting on the ground then the sky and the enemy realized this. It posed a considerable problem and yet Flora was made to grin and became all the more grateful that she'd made it when she did. “Use the shapers!”

Every sister could recognize Flora's voice and they all responded. It was a strange moment as they took out the tiny weapons and placed the mystic elixir into them.  The use of ranged weapons was strange enough but this felt surreal yet the moment the formula went into the shaper they felt a slight rush of energy from the escaping mystic energy and then several grate waves of fire was sent rushing towards the kobolds escaping into the sky.

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This was quite unexpected as Qulex took to the air the sight of several fireballs rushing towards him and the other kobolds was extremely unwelcome. He had already made it clear of the blast area as had the faster flying kobolds but the majority would most assuredly be caught up in those flames if nothing was done. Yet there was little that could be done as while the kobold shaman could have handled anyone of the flames the fact that upwards of fifty were now rushing towards them was not so easy to handle.

He was already well away from the attack so Qulex had nothing to fear about that. Losing so many of the new breed and the shaman could be an issue though. He had no means of stopping the attack entirely but the strongest would have already cleared the opening. The slowest and weakest would be the last ones out so the choice was simple for the kobold. There was hardly a moment between Qulex reaching his decision and a powerful downward gust of wind slamming into the wave of fire. He couldn't stop the flames but he could divert them downward into the weaker kobolds. That would leave the stronger ones to join the fight and while the loss was unpleasant it would be understandable. He was actually quite pleased with himself whenever he saw how sharply he'd caused the flames to be forced downward even as they began to poor into the opening engulfing the weaker of the shaman and the new breed. He wondered if any would survive.

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Maria, “The kobolds have several alters set out over the mountain. I destroyed a few of them but I didn't have time for all of them. I have a feeling that if we take them out though it'll weaken the Amalgam. The problem is that as I was running the ground began to give me trouble so I don't know if there is anyone that can handle them other then me. Given what's going on though I don't know if I can get near them again either. With the first few destroyed I'm sure the Amalgam will be keeping an eye out for my return.”

Flora, “That is useful information How much energy does that creature have though? It's been keeping Zarena back as well as the rest of us by using the ground against us. Surely that is draining its energy reserves quite rapidly.” A sigh escaped Flora as she looked up towards the sky and watched as spells from the shapers met with the magic of the kobolds. They had already realized how limited the sisters were in their use of magical items and adapted their defenses to prevent the attacks. “We got off one good wave of attacks and they've already realized we're mostly relying upon fire spells.”

Maria, “At least they can't do much to us either.”

Flora, “Maria that's just not true. Look at the battlefield. I'm going to have to start recalling our sisters based on how rapidly they're slowing down. Can't you tell how the kobolds are influencing the air to drive us back?”

No answer came from Maria as she took in several breaths as she wondered what her mother was talking about. “I don't know what you're talking about mom. It seems like regular air to me and you're all so slow normally.”

A slight chuckle escaped Flora as she looked at her daughter. “You had to get in that slow comment. Perhaps because of your speed and your mutation the air isn't influencing you like the rest of us but it's slowing us down. The enemies plan is to keep us away from its heart until the lack of oxygen drives us back or to smother us. I can't risk that it plans to smother us and that this is yet another trap so I must pull back our sisters before the danger becomes too great.”

Maria, “Couldn't we recall some while the others continue to fight?”

Flora, “Indeed and that's what I want you to do. Maria go throughout the battlefield and help those sisters who have been weakened the most to make it out of the affected area. They can resume the fight once they've recovered their strength.”

Maria, “What about the alters?”

Flora, “I'm afraid those will have to wait. We still don't know how they intend to use those kobolds to tip the tide of battle in their favor and just as importantly we only can use the shapers so many times before we run out of ammo as it were. Once that happens and the kobolds can focus in the skies we may face a real problem.”

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Whatever power had made these beast had made them sturdy in deed. A fact that wasn't lost on Qulex as he was joined by several of the other shaman who apparently looked to him for leadership. Direct attacks rarely seemed to have any real results and their speed was so exceptional that they were hard to land. He recalled what the largest of them had done whenever their master had first attacked her ears and as he watched the battlefield he knew what needed to be done. “We must stop them from communicating and planning their next step. If we can isolate them the master can pick them off one at a time and this battle will be ours. Attack their ears with the wind force them to do as the large one did so that they can no longer communicate.”

With Qulex's orders given the kobolds began to respond. They  broke off in groups of three to five based on the power of the individual members and began to spread out. As they moved the strongest of each group began to gather the wind while others began to gather their power in order to aid them. They had to attack the ears of the beasts in order to force them to destroy them or suffer the pain. How many would destroy them in desperation was unknown but the plan had merit. As they were moving several began to target those sisters who had clearly been instructing the others or stopped to speak with one another. Their efforts were hampered however by the fact that they were still waves of fire reaching up to meet them. A shudder was sent throughout all of them though as they felt a sudden shift in their master's power.

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Being within the domain of a spirit one had a contract with granted certain advantages. When that domain was shifted or lost though these advantages were as well and the sudden shift could easily be felt. Linod was in an odd situation though. As one who had spoken with the spirit of the forest herself and had a contract with her. The entire domain was hers yet at the same time it wasn't as he stepped onto the desecrated ground.  This was her sickened flesh and it had to be healed. He had began that healing and could feel the effects but it was draining and the illness was pushing back as was the kobolds. “Nathan I need the aid of your mages.”

Nathan, “What is it Linod?”

Linod, “I can feel where the poison is spreading from and it is indeed that mountain. That isn't the only location though. I can feel the sickness also spreading from the northeast and can only imagine what lies in that direction. Are your mages ready for battle?”

Nathan, “We wouldn't be here if we weren't. So let's go to the northeast.”

Linod, “Indeed however we won't be able to help you as we have here. The sickness is particularly strong there and that will diminish my abilities. Those gifts we retain from the natural world will be weakened as well. The Amalgam has done well to insure that its fangs are well protected.”

Nathan, “Thanks for the information. Carter are you strong enough to lead?”

Up until this point Carter had been expecting Nathan to lead the charge. Upon hearing his name though he was made to jump a bit. “Me?”

Nathan, “Yeah I could use some time to regain some of my strength. You'll need to do what you can to keep the earth calm while we make our way to our destination and it will be draining even with the help Linod gave us. But we need to get over there.”

Carter, “I'll do my best Nathan.” As he spoke Carter locked his hands together and began to focus his energy on the ground sending mystic tendrils into the earth beneath their feet anchoring it in place. As he did so he could feel the Amalgam trying to push the ground up in opposition to them. Fortunately the healing that Linod had introduced did much to weaken the Amalgam's grasp on the land.

Nathan, “Let's move.” As he spoke Nathan broke into a light sprint with Carter moving as quickly as he could while retaining the spell. “Linod what can you tell us about what we're running towards?”

Linod, “It's most likely a servant of the Amalgam perhaps even one that has been given a piece of the creature itself. It's poisoning the land in some regards planting seeds in other regards. As these seeds sprout though the forest is further sickened while the Amalgam can feed on the harvest.”

Nathan, “Linod I've been wanting to ask. How are our sisters doing or were they doing whenever you entered here?”

Linod, “They're fighting within a trap.”

Nathan, “What!”

Linod, “The Amalgam has used its capacity to influence the earth to remove much of the oxygen from this region yet your sisters continue to push forward.”

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Nadia, “Well that is a bit more impressive then expected.” As she spoke Nadia looked towards the skies as the kobolds struggled to remain aloft. Many of them were failing as they struggled to adapt to the violent and freezing winds that had suddenly appeared overhead. There was no doubt in her mind that the violent storm which was forming was the work of their brothers inside of the library. It was also very apparent where the strongest of the kobold shamans were as these remained the calmest sections of sky within the mystic storm. “Joseph I want you to prepare your heaviest hitting attacks and aim for where I point.”

Joseph, “What do you mean heaviest hitting?”

Nadia, “Whatever spell that you have which is meant to do the most damage. Provided that spell isn't fire based I can see where we need to take down our enemies now.”

Joseph, “I have a few spell but they're short range I don't believe they can reach as high as we need.”

Nadia, “Drat. Very well find the hardest hitting long range spells you have and tell me what the top three of them are.”

For a moment Joseph went silent and focused his mind on the book. It didn't take the word  long to sort through what he was looking for. “There is a note worthy lightning spell in here, mystic arrows and a shock wave.”

Nadia, “By shock wave you mean an explosion don't you.”

Joseph, “Yeah. It's designed to be cast far away from the caster though. Anything short of thirty meters away and it could easily end up killing the caster as well. I can already feel the drain this spell would put me though. I don't know how many I could cast before I was tapped out.”

Nadia, “I see. Given the number of our enemies do you believe that you could cast it five times?”

At first Joseph said nothing. If he was fully rested he felt that he could probably cast the spell five times but at this moment he wasn't sure. The spells Nadia had him using were having a great impact for the amount of energy they required but nothing like this spell. He felt confident that he could cast two of them but even a third was in question and Nadia was asking him for five. Given the drain he felt like he may very well black out after casting or attempting to cast the forth spell and it was quite possible that it wouldn't even succeed.

Nadia, “You're not confident in the least that you could cast that spell five times. The lightning is out of the question they're using too much wind magic right now that would be playing into their strength. The arrows I don't have confidence in. Joseph I've picked the most important targets I can locate and I want you to cast your shock wave spell as often as you can at full power. Do you understand me?”

Joseph, “Even if it means blacking out?”

Nadia, “Yes. If you pass out I'll put you somewhere safe so you don't have to worry about that. Now are you ready to cast the spell?”

It was impossible for Joseph not to delay. Forcing a spell like this was hardly a pleasant experience. The sudden rush and feeling of power when the spell was actually cast was wonderful but after words the collapse could be very unpleasant. This was what Nadia wanted from him though and she had been right about their battle plan so far. “Alright Nadia. I'll cast the spell as many times as I can.”

Nadia, “That's good.” As she finished speaking Nadia turned her eyes toward her first target and moved her hand to show Joseph where she wanted it cast. “There.”

Nearly the moment the word there hit his ears Joseph felt a horrific drain on his being followed by a sudden rush of heat  that made his hairs stand on end with excitement. The powerful ripple that shot forth from his hand almost left him trembling as the power surged through him yet the cost of casting such a spell slammed into him even before the actual blast had occurred.

Despite Joseph's diminished energy the influence was immediate. The kobolds were so focused on resisting the winds that they didn't notice the spear of energy as it rushed towards them. Once the magic had reached it's destination a massive shock wave had been released ripping those closest to bits while sending several kobolds falling towards the ground. Nadia risked a grin as she watched the creatures falling feeling confident that Joseph had just taken one of the stronger group of kobolds out of the battle. As they were falling she also noticed the wind becoming more violent. If the winds had become more violent due to the brothers putting more energy into it or if it had been the loss of those kobolds she didn't know. Perhaps it was both and bringing more of them down would help further. “Are you ready for another one Joseph?”

While Joseph had been prepared for the drain the spell would put on him he wasn't quite prepared for how sore the attack was going to leave him. Despite that he found himself gathering his strength once again though he couldn't respond right away. “Give me a moment to catch my breath please.”

Nadia, “Sure but  don't take too long we don't know how long these winds will last.”

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There was no way for Maria to know what was going on as she took hold of one of her sister's arms. She'd noticed her beginning to collapse and responded immediately by pulling her away from her current location before the sound had influenced her. Fortunately this attacks seemed to be localized and by constantly moving Maria could avoid their influence. Those sisters who were slower though or were somehow delayed didn't handle it so well though so Maria found herself taking them away from the battle. This situation posed another problem for those sisters though.

While moving seemed to let them avoid the attacks coming from the kobolds it was forcing them to expend more energy in an environment that was being depleted of oxygen. It was making it harder for them to fight and it would only get worse as time went on. Unfortunately there was no way that any of them could call the retreat. If they were to do so the Amalgam could focus entirely on the brothers in the shadow realm and that was a loss the sisters weren't willing to take. Fortunately Zarena seemed to still be retaining a good deal of the Amalgam's attention as she struggled to locate her enemies heart and rip it out.

Maria, “Rita are you alright?”

Rita, “My head felt like it was going to split in two for a moment there.”

Maria, “Rita I need to let you go and you need to get off the battlefield. They're other sisters I have to get back to. They're attacking our hearing.”

Rita, “Then go I'll be fine now I know what to do to keep that from happening again.”

Maria, “We can't just start making ourselves depth we won't be able to communicate!”

Rita, “Then quit trying to help them by shouting into my ear. I'm not going to hurt my ear drums I'm just going to block my ears a bit and keep them covered so that the sound doesn't hurt as much.”

It was an odd moment for Maria as she suddenly felt very stupid. “What are you going to use to cover your ears?”

Rita, “This.” As she spoke Rita cut out a section of the pouch which she'd been using to carry the shaper and bottles inside of it. Having used up most of her bottles there was a good amount of material available for use. She then folded the material stuffed it into each ear and then laid her ears flat against her head.

Maria's eyes opened wide for a moment as she looked down at her own pack. The brothers had apparently given them more resources them they had realized. “Rita that's brilliant I'm going to go help the others right now.”

Rita, “What? You'll have to speak up.”

A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she released her hold on Rita and dashed off towards her other sisters. She'd already cut away a section of her own pack in case they didn't have any materials to spare or a pouch. Given how many of the sisters had been using their shapers though she felt confident there would be material to spare.

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Pirax hadn't expected anyone to make it within his domain so soon yet now he found himself confronted by several shaman all of them quite hostile. The hostile part wasn't such a concern though as was how much power he felt from them the fact that they had brought mages didn't make the situation any better. “Well I must say I did not expect to have company this day. I take it you  fellows have a disagreement with my master.”

Up until this point Nathan had an idea what to expect from the Amalgam but as he looked at Pirax he didn't know what to think. The spirit was extremely composed especially for one that would serve the Amalgam. Though composed didn't exactly meant pleasant to look upon. The creature that stood before them took on the form of a massive spider very similar to the natural creatures though sporting more legs then a natural spider would have and several spines. It's two front legs also seemed to be more kin to pincers then what a spider should have. The creature also chose to speak to them.

Nathan, “Linod what does your experience with the spirits of spiders tell you to do in this situation?”

Linod, “Use a lot of fire and lightning.” The moment the words left his lips Linod fingers were engulfed in electrical energy as he began to draw in energy. This spider was no slouch though as soon as the shaman began to gather lightning Pirax released a stream of venom in his direction. There was no need for anyone to shield Linod though. The old shaman had mastered moving and using his gifts long ago so that sprinting away from the toxin posed little problem.

The other shaman had responded nearly as quickly as Linod so that while he moved away from the attack they'd already released their own sending storms of broken earth and flame towards Pirax. There was no shock from the shaman however as their attacks were stopped within the air as the spiders web was revealed catching the solid projectiles and directing the energy into the earth beneath the spider. The creature was truly well intrenched.

Pirax, “You believe you can challenge me within my domain?”

Nathan, “Yes.” Nathan didn't give Pirax time to turn in his direction but released a massive attack of his own. Having seen what the spider's web did to the shamanistic abilities he chose another path. Nathan reached out and gripped the spiders surroundings much as if he was preparing to cast a fire spell. No flames came from him though as he began to pull in the warmth from within the webbing. Several beads of light could be seen along the webbing moments later which would have been quite lovely if it wasn't for the creature that stood amongst them and the situation.

A sharp laugh escaped Pirax as he realized what the mage had tried to do. This laughter was short lived though as a sudden wave of pain struck him as electrical energy was made to surge throughout his body. Linod had seen where the webbing rested and responded accordingly to send his lightning around the web and directly into the spider. The creature let lose a scream of protest and began to adjust his legs pulling on the webbing in the same moment to block Linod's attack but in the same instance making additional openings. Just as he halted Linod's attack  new ones joined his from the other shaman.

Apparently shamanistic training offered more advantages then Nathan believed. The degree to which Linod was able to bend and move his lightning was remarkable even to Nathan. While he had most assuredly produced more powerful attacks within his time this was the first time he'd seen one controlled with such precession and that was what Linod had used to strike the spider. “Let's not let the orcs do all the work brothers. How are you doing Carter?”

Carter, “Really struggling here the Amalgam's grip is strong here and it's pushing even harder to turn the earth against us.”

Nathan, “Let us know if you're yielding and we'll lend you some of our strength. Until then.” Once again Nathan moved to attack the spider while it was occupied. He had no intention of making another direct attack though. His plans to attack were interrupted however as Pirax shifted his legs once again this time causing some of the webbing to actually break free and lash out towards Nathan. This time it was Nathan's turn to be proud of his defenses as his wind barrier met the webbing and shifted their direction just enough to cause the webs to meet with the ground. Apparently the spider didn't like this and Nathan had no intention of letting him off with the attack. The second the strands of web met with the ground Nathan released a very rapid blast of frost enveloping a good portion of the strands and binding them to the ground.

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The Amalgam was becoming desperate as the fight went on and Alex could feel it. As the Amalgam's fear for its survival increased though so did his fear for his own both due to the connection and due to his own nature. Currently he found himself focusing trying to think of what they could do to change the situation. The answer came to him moments later. “We could try a summoning.”

There was no need for the Amalgam to question Alex as to what he intended to do. He planned on summing a powerful being to aid them in this battle. His memories included times during which mages had summoned powerful elementals to help them in times of war and worse. Immediately the Amalgam put down the plan as it reminded Alex of Zarena and the energy needed for such spells. There was no true chance that they could find, make a deal with and summon an elemental powerful enough to fight Zarena in time and the cost would be far beyond what could be paid. The Amalgam had to work hard to keep thoughts of escape from entering into Alex's mind without revealing the reason why. Unlike Alex the Amalgam wasn't so free to move around.

Alex, “What about the attack upon their ears is it going as expected?” The answer came to Alex in the form of a vision as he saw through the eyes of the kobolds as the sisters worked to protect their ears instead of damaging them. Without a doubt this limited their ability to communicate but it was no where near what they had been hoping for and their attempts to deprive them of oxygen was only slowing them down apparently. “The humans who entered the shadow realm if we were to devote all of our energy to that then we could capture them and use them as hostages against the females.”

Once again Alex was met with bad news and some pain. The shaman who had joined with the humans in the shadow realm had given them the strength to push inward even further then their sisters had. They were losing the battle in the shadow realm even as the spoke.  “Have the other generals join Pirax! Surely they're combined power would be enough to kill them quickly!”

Amalgam, “That would force them beyond their domain and they would fall quickly you fool! The only reason Pirax can stand as he has been is due to his webbing. If he were to retreat from that he would be killed almost immediately and so goes for any that would join him. They are only powerful within their domain that is why they serve me!”

Alex, “Was the guardian the only powerful spirit with any mobility!”

Amalgam, “Yes! That is why I risked so much to obtain her and she was lost!”

Alex, “What about other spirits? There is the dragon still the one who controls the skies of the shadow realm. It has no ties to the spirit of the forest at least not like any of the other great spirits do. Surely it would consent to join us.”

Rejection was the first thought on the Amalgam's mind but that thought was stopped as it realized the truth of the situation. “She may refuse to ally with us and might turn against us instead. Her pride makes her a difficult ally and the price for her aid would be great.”

Alex, “Do we have any other choice?”

Amalgam, “You have a point human.”

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Tazona had been watching the battle with the Amalgam for some time with moderate interest. With the proper application of flames for the sake of purification she might get to enjoy a meal once the Amalgam had fallen. A meal that she would welcome. If the Amalgam won however perhaps she could look forward to making a meal of the humans and orcs flesh that had entered into the shadow realm and perhaps some sacrifices. It looked to be a win win situation for. She knew that her proximity might draw some attention however and she wasn't surprised whenever she noted a kobold shaman trying to get in touch with her. “What do you want?”

Qulex, “Great spirit I come to you on behalf of my master to ask your aid during this dire time.”

Tazona, “No.”

Qulex, “Great spirit why do you dismiss me before you have even heard my offer? Should you aid us now the master would be willing to compensate you generously.”

Tazona, “If I aid you now how long until your master attempts to bind me to her service? This generous offer you speak of carries with it a taint that I won't suffer.”

Qulex, “Are you bound to this forest spirit? You own the skies and can move on. Why not accept my master's give and move to better feeding grounds? Was it not the very beings of this forest who destroyed your living flesh.”

A slight chuckle went throughout Tazona though she didn't let it be heard. Memories of her past hiding in the cave as one of the weakest spirits of the forest and the great dragon's arrival still remained. She had feared for her being in that moment knowing the mystic nature of dragons and what its arrival may mean for her. Then she had made war with the beasts of the forest and been killed. To reveal that much of her past would be a mistake though it was better to let this kobold assume and not know that she had not always been an aspect of the dragon. “Leave my home? Perhaps I should turn my power against your master if you plan to drive me from here. Such actions might even gain me favor with the other mighty ones.”

Qulex, “Please reconsider. You may have your own domain within this forest if you so desire and the lives of three hundred of my brethren if you wish. They would come to you willingly to nourish your power. Surely you have no better offer then this. All we ask is you aid us.”

The kobold's offer was tempting Tazona felt that for certain. Three hundred living creatures offered to her as proper sacrifices would be empowering. However, the Amalgam would be all the more powerful and that was not something that she could tolerate. What good was being mighty whenever you were the weakest of only two by far? It would be foolish not to try to gain something from this meeting though. “I will not aid you in battle and now I require something from you. I will be gifted my own domain within this forest should your master succeed regardless of me not giving my aid. If your master doesn't agree to my terms I will make war upon you now.”

He had been sent to make an ally. As Qulex listened to the dragon spirit though he was certain that he had made an enemy instead. His master would not be pleased by this. “Great spirit you would have us make such a contract with you for nothing?”

Tazona, “Of course not. You will make this deal with me for protection from my wrath. Unlike your master I did not wish to see this forest changed.”

Qulex, “Very well spirit if that is how you desire it then you leave me no choice.” With those words Qulex retrieved a bone from a small pouch he had on his side and held it up before Tazona. Tendrils of dark energy were made to reach out and rush towards the draogn as he held a fragment of one of the dragon's original bones in his hand. He would use this as a conduit to infect the great creature and bind it to his will. Once the battle was over then they would feed the dragon to their master and watch her grow all the stronger.

One of the dragon's original bones was not what Tazona had been expecting neither had she anticipated such a powerful spell from the kobold. However, once again he assumed in folly thinking that she was the ancient dragon. Far from it though. She was the one who had quietly feasted on the dragon's fear, rage and powerful life energies whenever it had been confronted by several of the beasts and fallen. The energies the kobold directed towards her was met with the roar of flame and as the two powers met with one another the kobolds was made to yield.

There was hardly time to act. As the fire approached him Qulex knew he didn't have time to move but quickly forged a shield around himself directing the flames around him. Even with the barrier he could feel the oppressive heat. “Damn you creature!”

Now it was Tazona's turn to be truly agitated. As she was forced to relent from her attack she found the kobold remained though looking somewhat worse for the experience he was still alive and very active. “I see that bone grants you more protection then I believed.”

Qulex, “How do you resist this is a bone of your original flesh!”

Tazona felt no need to answer the kobolds question but did feel a pressing need to end him before he could think more on the subject. She wasted no time lashing out with her claws having seen that her flames weren't as effective as she desired. The kobold was better prepared for this though and darted away from her talons with a speed that she would not anticipated from such a shaman.

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This had been a hard wait as Desmon resided outside of the brother's and spirits notice. However, it had been at the insistence of Nightfang who wanted to make sure the battle was truly underway before he joined in on it. It was the wolf's nature to want to see it's prey weakened as much as possible before it attacked but that didn't mean he approved. Now the great wolf seemed ready to move as he looked towards the battlefield. “Are you ready to join in?”

While Nightfang had told Desmon that he wanted to wait and watch in truth this wasn't the case. Nightfang hadn't joined because he lacked the ability to do so. Somehow the spirit had learned of one of his laws and used that to prevent him from entering her domain. One of those laws had been removed recently though and at last he could join them though in a limited way. Only a portion of the spirits realm was vulnerable to him at the moment. “Yes we will attack them in the east.”

Desmon, “What? Why don't we help the orc shaman and mage humans?”

Nightfang, “They have the enemies eyes turned elsewhere. It is time now to strike at their flank that is why. I should have no reason to explain this to you.”

Even before Desmon could respond Nightfang had began to move apparently to attack from the east as he planned. This was hard for Desmon to take as he looked to where he knew the brothers to be fighting against a powerful enemy within its domain. It was true that they seemed to have the upper hand but why not move in and deliver the killing strike? Sure attacking the spirit where it wasn't watching was a good move but so was finishing off one of its defenders. Both acts gave an advantage when dealing with the Amalgam itself the only difference was that the eastern guard would be at full strength while the ones the brothers had began fighting wouldn't be.

Nightfang, “Druid are you coming? Our deal requires that you aid in the battle as well.”

Desmon, “I'm coming.”

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Zarena was having trouble with her ears. Sure cutting her ear drums made it so the sound couldn't harm her anymore but there was still her sisters to worry about. Hundreds of her much smaller sisters running into battle and while they were giving her plenty of room she still worried she might step on one of them without her ears to help her keep track of what was happening all around her. There was other concerns as well. She had lost sight of Nathan and the other brothers for a short while as she was being forced to evade the very ground beneath her feet. Now she had found them again and moved to help them out. Her claws became alight with energy as she prepared to plunge them into the spirit realm. The fact that they appeared to be fighting a giant spider actually made her lament that more of her couldn't enter into the spirit world or she would just crush the bug.

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Pirax had been growing frustrated with the mages and the shaman. They were proving to be far more powerful then he would have preferred and while his web offered him much protection they were working on stripping that away from him. A sudden tensing that ran throughout his entire web followed by several snaps drew his attention away from them though as he fearfully wondered what had struck his web. Massive claws seemed to reside within open air having met with his webbing. How many strands had been broken he didn't know but he couldn't help himself as he realized the claws were withdrawing. “No!”

Linod had his chance to be surprised now as a massive chunk of the spider's web was torn away by claws that seemed to punch through the barrier between worlds itself. He was actually fairly certain that is what had happened as he noted the disruption. “Nathan was that one of yours?”

Nathan, “Yes that was Zarena it seems she found our location.”

Linod, “And she knows that we're not  kobolds right?”

Nathan, “Yeah she's quite smart about such things.”

A slight chuckle escaped Linod as he considered the situation and looked towards Pirax. “It's time for you to fall spirit and you won't rise again. I'm going to assure that you're fragmented into so many bits there won't be any trace of your awareness left.”

Pirax, “You're too bold for your own good orc!” With his webbing torn open Pirax knew that he couldn't rely on it for defense any longer. This knowledge prompted the massive spider to cast aside his defense as he rushed towards Linod fear of the massive claws that had appeared moments earlier having left his mind. Before he could reach the orc though his right side was engulfed in flames as several of the mages release a massive wave of fire. The force of the flames was such that Pirax found his progression halted and his body forced sideways even as a shriek of pain escaped from him.

Linod didn't need any more time then that. With Pirax out of his web and delayed the orc released a massive wave of lightning into the massive creature. As the lightning and fire met with the spider the sound of flesh popping and sizzling filled the air and mingled with the spirits screams of pain. “That web was the only thing allowing you to stand against us spirit your end is now.”

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Amalgam, “She said what!”

Qulex, “The great dragon spirit refused to help and said that unless we agreed that should we win she will have her own domain in the forest she will aid in the attack against us.”

Amalgam, “How dare that rodent make demands of me!”

Alex, “What can we do now though? We have no means of forcing her hand if she won't accept our offer and if she was to ally against us then we would surely fall. We're falling now though.”

Amalgam, “Yes I can feel two of my servants have fallen and with their fall the barrier is weakening. Very well it seems that it has come to this.”

Alex, “Came to what?”

Amalgam, “Human you will handle the barrier for as long as you can. Direct the newborn Qulex you' are to make your way to  the chamber in which the old born are being held.”

Alex, “Wait? What are you doing?”

Amalgam, “You don't need to know that because you have no choice. Do as your told and keep them back for as long as you can.”

There was a moment of resistance in Alex but it quickly faded. The answer the spirit had given him was far from desirable but it was right. The Amalgam had sank its claws far too deeply into his being for him to resist its influence. As he watched Qulex leave though he could feel the Amalgam's presence weaken as if it had shifted locations. Apparently it was preparing for something but what could it be planning in the chamber where they had stored the weaker kobolds?

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Mirin, “What happened to Joseph?”

Nadia, “He used up all his strength fighting the kobolds but don't worry he's not injured just exhausted. I'm quite happy with his performance though. He managed to cast his spell five times instead of his estimated three.”

Mirin, “It must have been one extremely powerful spell.”

Nadia gave a slight nod and reached down running her finger along Joseph's sleeping form. “Yes it was it's what allowed me to risk falling back from my defensive position to bring him here. I should be getting back there now. Pera, Terima take him somewhere quiet and safe to rest he couldn't even fight a mouse in his current state.”

Pera and Terima had been told to remain inside while the fight was going on but had been told to watch the entrance along with several other younger sisters. The youngest of the sisters were housed deeper within the library along with the younger brothers and a few elder sisters. The brothers who were trained in mage craft but not part of the direct battle found themselves housed in the middle of both groups though some of them remained near the entrance to see what was going on.

Pera, “Should I take him back to where we're keeping the younger sisters and brothers?”

Mirin, “That would be fine. Just don't spend too much time talking talking to Allen though I'm sure he'll have a hundred questions for you.”

Pera, “I'll be back quick.” As Pera picked Joseph up she couldn't help but blush as Mirin made it clear that he knew what she was doing. “Are you sure you don't need me to go outside and help fight Nadia?”

Nadia, “Don't worry little sister we are holding fine. The enemies strength is diminishing far more rapidly then our own.”

Pera, “You sound confident Nadia. Aren't you worried they're going to manage to pull off some surprise attack near the end?”

Nadia, “Well they've tried. Joseph put an end to that. With their strongest dead I'm rather doubtful. Mirin just to be on the safe side how has the kobolds attacks influenced the library?”

Mirin, “Some of the brothers are scared that they've managed to influence the stone the library is made of itself. Mind you they've found no reason to believe the kobolds have managed to do so but the fact that they can't find anything only makes them more concerned. They fear that the corrupting of the stone was done so beautifully that they can't detect it.”

Nadia, “These brothers are a bit on the paranoid side aren't they?”

Mirin, “You think so to?”

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Mina had a wide grin on her face as she swung her ax through the air. She could feel the magic gathering around the blade as well as the wind followed by the release of both energies. The sound the wind made when it was released had been growing on her since the beginning of the battle and she was already quite fond of it. The power of the attack was obvious as it met with the kobolds barrier and burst through it shredding the kobolds that tried to hide.

Mina, “So how much of that is the spell you used and how much of it is the weapon?”

Dan was still more then a little sore from when Mina had jerked him from the ground and still very bruised. Despite the pain though he was smiling as well as he looked towards the ax. “All my magic is doing is helping the kinetic energy to travel more smoothly through the air and build up within the weapon. You seem to be getting hold of that blade though.”

Mina, “It builds its power from my swings did you notice how my swings are roughly the same speed each time?”

Dan, “Sorry Mina that's a bit too fast for me.” Dan was grateful for being able to speak with Mina as the kobolds struggled to adapt to the storm the brothers had whipped up to bring them down.

Mina, “Well it isn't exactly the same speed each time but it's like the harder I push the ax to move faster the more it pushes back. I know this sounds bad but the more it pushes back the more powerful the attack whenever it is finally released or whenever it meets with something. Maria would positively hate this weapon but for someone who has a lot more strength then they have speed to begin with its remarkable.”

Dan, “Your attacks seem to have gotten much faster have you figure out what that's about?”

Mina, “That's all in the release of the energy. A sudden stop and the attack is extremely precise while it spreads out more if the slow down is less rapid. Dan this is a magical item that was meant to be used by beings who can't use magic isn't it!”

Despite the situation Dan felt a slight chuckle coming upon. Nearly all magical items were designed so that those who weren't capable of using magic could do so. This ax was truly something else though as he watched its affects. It brought up the question as to how much of the power was coming from Mina and how much was coming from the weapon though. Perhaps the secret to the weapon's strength wasn't a powerful spell but rather what the spell did. They were other concerns on his mind though. “Mina I need you to set me down soon I'm not feeling very well.”

Mina, “We're about to the door Dan. I'll let you go inside and they'll treat you there.”

Dan was shocked for a moment he didn't know what to say as he looked around and realized that indeed Mina had been making her way back towards the library entrance. “You were taking me there this entire time?”

Mina, “I began moving in this direction the moment I grabbed you by the stomach. Dan you say you're fine but I know that you're in pain right now and in no condition to fight. Besides having to constantly move can't be easy on that delicate body of yours.”

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Qulex took in a deep breath as he hefted a exceptionally lustrous and dark tablet onto the alter before him and looked out over the lesser kobolds. This was a plan of desperation though they hadn't realized how desperate at the time being. “Master we are ready to begin the ritual.”

Things had come to this. At first she had remained within the spirit realm in order to avoid confronting the sister's directly but now she had no choice. She would have Qulex summon her through the shadows and completely into the physical world however the Amalgam had no intention at stopping there. It remembered the power of Zarena and knew that it would need power to match her if only for a time. The life force of the remaining kobolds would give her that power. “Hurry Qulex, the barrier won't hold for long once the ritual has begun.”

Qulex, “Yes mistress.”  Despite his words Qulex took a moment to look to the exits. Every exit into and out of the room was guarded by some of the new breed. This was required in case the other kobolds attempted to escape once they realized what was happening to them. “Drink!”

No great speech came from Qulex to the other kobolds and no promises. It was only an order and they obeyed lifting the cups to their mouth and drinking in the dark liquid it contained. There was some hesitation at first as the kobolds wondered what it was but as they tasted the liquid they began to drink greedily. A few of the kobolds even began to struggle for the cups of those who were slower to drink as they took in the sweet poison. They were ruled by the moment having already convinced themselves that the flavor alone meant this was a blessing from their master. That would work in his favor as Qulex began to focus energy into the stone.

The stone quickly shifted from lustrous to truly glowing as it responded to the energy flowing throughout it. Bright tendrils of energy soon burst forth from the rock and slammed into the nearest kobolds. They were cast to the ground almost instantly as the liquid within them went from a sweet flavor to a fire within their veins. Harsh screams began to fill the area and a darkness escaped from the kobolds mouth and slowed into the stone. The cycle was soon revealed. As the life energy from the first kobolds was drained into the stone even more tendrils were formed and reached out striking even more kobolds. Those who had drank the most greedily and took in the most of the solution were the first to be struck.

As the magic worked Qulex could feel the power building within the stone. A power that surpassed anything that he had ever felt before as he worked to control the energy and continue the ritual. The stone was more then any simple rock and wasn't truly a stone either. It was a portion of a root which had been blackened and hardened with both fire, magic and its very environment. It held a link to their master though he didn't know the finer details as Qulex continued to send out the dark energy though life seemed to enter into the room as it began to truly expand and reach out driving itself deeply into the alter and the ground around them. Qulex found himself growing concerned as he watched the root expanding.

The kobolds had given themselves over to her and through that the Amalgam had already bound them to this ritual. The drink they had taken in had only served to further taint their bodies and open them up to her while the root was the focus of the ritual. Some of the kobolds had realized what was going on now and began to dash towards the opening only to be thrust back into the room by the new breed. This brought on a predictable response as the kobolds began to pick up any lose stone or item that they could use as a weapon in an attempt to threaten the new breed yet the new breed showed no signs of moving.

A stillness ran amongst the kobolds even as they continued to fall. None wanted to be the first to rush the new breed knowing that it would mean their deaths. Finally a single kobold let out a shrill scream and began to rush towards the door while carrying a large stone above his head. He didn't actually manage to reach the door though as one of the tendrils from the root shot out and engulfed him. The moment the tendril had touched the kobold his legs failed him and he toppled to the ground and yet it had begun. With one having led the charge the others began to rush towards the new breed. Unfortunately none of them seemed to realize the flaw in their plan.

The passages into the room were rather narrow so narrow that there was no way for more then two kobolds to reach the new breed at a time. Given the rate at which they were falling and the advantage the new breed had over the old generation Qulex was confident that none would manage to overcome the new breed. Had they been thinking and reasoning more clearly they would have chosen to attack him and try to stop the ritual. They didn't do that though as they were most frightened of the root and thus chose the path to certain doom. That was often the way of his species when confronted by a powerful enemy though. Fear was what ruled them more then anything else. It gave him a feeling of pride to think that he had moved beyond such simple creatures and could see the difference.

***************************************************************************************************

Linod could feel a tremble in the spiritual realm and he turned his gaze towards the mountain. A massive aura had engulfed the mountain and a sickness seemed to spread throughout the area. He chanced a look to Nathan, the brothers and his own orcs before looking back towards the mountain. “Something is happening and I don't believe it's good.”

Nathan, “Can you feel that coming from the mountain? I knew that a massive amount of power had to be involved in controlling the land like this but how can the Amalgam have that kind of power?”

Linod, “The Amalgam probably doesn't bu it's doing something to increase its power for the time. We are faced with a situation now. As far as I can tell whatever is going on is aimed at the physical world we could try to intervene in order to aid your sisters but that means we might draw the attack upon ourselves. We may also remain here and wait and see if an opportunity presents itself.”

Nathan, “What do you suggest? It isn't like our sisters don't also have a great power siding with them.”

For a moment Linod was silent and then gave a slight nod. “I believe that we should attack now if we can reach the mountain. I get the feeling that the Amalgam is more running from us then preparing to fight us.”

Nathan, “Now that's a funny thought. I figured it would be more interested in running from Zarena then running from us.”

A slight chuckle escape Linod as he gave a nod. “Perhaps that's the wrong word. By running from us I more meant the forces that have come to stand against it. You see while we were fighting here I felt Nightfang's presence and several other spirits. Apparently they were waiting for an opportunity to strike. There is only one spirit of note which hasn't joined in on the battle yet.”

Nathan, “Which would be?”

Linod, “The dragon that has been observing the battle this entire time. Apparently she has only chosen to watch and not participate perhaps in hopes of retrieving an easy meal.”

Nathan, “Is there any chance you could convince her to join us?”

Linod, “Unfortunately I don't believe we have time as we've talked enough. Come let's us make our way to the mountain. Be ready for your spells though. If this is indeed the Amalgam becoming desperate then we're liable to encounter even more dangers. Perhaps not of the quality that we've seen so far but I am certain the Amalgam will throw it's remaining defenders against us.”

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The kobolds were as good as dead. Nadia knew this as several of them had made a fatal error and finally landed upon the ground to avoid the torturous winds in the sky. This was a mistake on so many levels though. Had they remained in the sky or let the fall kill them at least their deaths might have been relatively painless. There was no sympathy from her however as she extended her hand towards two of them extending her claws as she did so. The creatures tried to run from her but they didn't make it more then a single step before her claws pushed through both of their stomachs. Harsh gasp escaped both of them but as her massive claw destroyed their abdomen they lost their ability to  breath and with it their ability to truly scream. She wasted no time lifting the skewered kobolds from the ground and towards her ready mouth. She was still composed enough to know this act more involved anger then hunger or liking their taste. In truth she rather disliked how they tasted but she wanted it to be clear they were nothing more then food.

Nadia's behavior was being repeated throughout the battlefield at times on smaller scales and at times on larger. Fera was most assuredly in hunting mode as she captured as many of the kobolds as she could. Unlike Nadia though Fera was taking advantage of her size to try to force the kobolds down alive. She wanted them to be able to see inside of her mouth, feel the heat of her breath, her powerful muscles as they were forced down into her stomach, to breath in the limited and tainted air within her stomach and before they lost consciousness to feel the chemicals and mechanisms of her body ripping theirs apart. Being able to swallow a kobold whole also meant that she didn't experience nearly as much of the unpleasant taste.

This was the sister's revenge. They had been angered enough by being attacked but the fact that the kobolds had set fire to the market had only pushed them even further. What was contempt for the kobolds before hand had become true anger and even hatred for some sisters. Not all who were outside of the library had fallen into such behavioral patterns. Mina for her part found herself faced with another situation as several sisters had began to gather around her.

Rita, “Mina we need to go the the market immediately and get those fires out there are probably still a lot of buildings that can be saved! Even if there isn't we might as well save what we can though and make sure those fires don't spread any further then they have already.”

As Rita finished speaking her opinion was echoed by roughly a dozen sisters who had gathered around Mina. The keeper found herself in a bit of a situation. Technically they should insure the library's defense but hadn't they beaten back the enemy already? Mina felt some concern that the kobolds had another wave coming and had no desire to weaken their defenses. At the same time the smoke and the sounds coming from the market told her that it was still burning. “Fine. You twelve are to come back immediately though  if you are called for or you note another attack. You're also to stay in groups of three at all times do you understand?”

Yes quickly ran throughout the group as the sisters began to sprint away. It wasn't too surprising that they were mostly guardian or nearly guardian sized sisters. They tended to handle most of the repairs in the market and construction and as Mina thought about it she recognized them as sisters who had been assigned to work on certain structures. Naturally they didn't want to see all their work undone. She wondered if they would feel even more anger towards the kobolds upon their return.

Mina, “Fera do you mind if I leave the battlefield for a few moments?”

Often Fera could be a funny creature. While scooping up kobolds and swallowing them alive she seemed an out of control monster but the moment she heard Mina's voice she seemed to regain her mind as she glanced towards her sister. “Just hurry back we don't know what's coming next but you can check on Dan.”

Mina, “Thank you.”

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It had to happen eventually. As the blood of the kobolds filled the waters and the injured ones tried to escape predators had been attracted. The massive creatures the kobolds had brought in to carry their weapons were new to Kersara but they weren't the most powerful creature's in the sea. The magic of the forest extended to more then just those who lived in the forest those creatures that also made up their home in the waters near it had been influenced and the flesh eaters were making their presence known. Now Kersara found herself wondering if these creatures had been drawn in from surrounding areas or if they were just that numerous.

Kelah, “What are you thinking Kersara?”

Kersara, “Do you see all of those two headed wyverns fighting together?”

Kelah, “Yeah what about it?”

Kersara, “We really need to come up with a proper name for them rather then two headed wyverns. Anyway, five of them are actually males and only one of them is female.”

While the female had been holding her own against the kobolds the sound of battle and a distressed female had attracted the attention of several males. Now each one of them had rushed to her side seeking an opportunity to display their combative abilities for what would hopefully be a receptive female. Rather then fighting one another though the males were more then intelligent enough to realize that aiding her against the kobolds would be a better display and less dangerous to them. Unfortunately for five of the males a particularly large male had been attracted who had actually taken the lead against the kobolds as if he was escorting the female through their ranks. The only chance the five weaker males seeming to have in the situation being that the larger would be overwhelmed by the kobolds.

Kelah, “How do you know they're male?”

Kersara, “I can smell it. I don't believe we're needed here though. Are the spirits telling you anything?”

Kelah, “Well they're pretty darn angry. The spirits of the land are upset due to the sudden attack on their shore and the spirits of life aren't happy with what happened either. The water is being soaked in blood and it's attracting at abnormally number of predators.”

Kersara, “What about those one things we saw in the water?”

Kelah, “Mm you'd need a shaman more skilled in such things then I am.”

Lanod, “There is so much life energy escaping from this region that it's hard to be sure. The spirits of the water are too enraged to really communicate with right now. Perhaps though the spirits of the wind would be willing to offer some information. They've been influenced less by the happenings here and may know something.”

Kersara, “What do you need to ask them?”

Lanod, “Just a little time to focus. Plus a safer location then here.”

***************************************************************************************************

Mirin sat quietly looking at the scroll before him. The mystic energy flowing through it had been stopped and thus the spell was ended but the scroll remained. Perhaps they should keep it in the event they needed it later? No one was in a rush to destroy it at least. Now his mind was focused on other things. “It seems that we have won here.”

Dan, “I believe that's safe to assume. I don't know if its a clean victory though. A few sisters apparently went to check on the market and try to put out the fires.”

Mirin, “Did you catch word of any sisters being lost?”

Dan, “I haven't heard anything about any sisters being killed. The kobolds really didn't have a chance though.”

Mirin, “Sure they did. If our sisters had required us all to remain inside and not been involved the kobolds command of the skies would have allowed them to apply so much more force. There may have been more bloodshed then even I would like to think of in that case.”

Dan, “That is true. Are you worried about what's going on at the other battlefields?”

Mirin, “I can't see what's going on at the mountain. I tried to take a look a little while ago and there is too much magic running wild there for me to see anything.  I'm rather worried that whatever is there is putting out so much power. It may even be enough to cost our sister's their lives.”

Dan, “You believe that even with Zarena standing with them?”

Mirin, “I'm afraid so yes.”

Dan, “Is it wrong that I'm glad Mina didn't go to the battlefield with the others?”

Mirin, “It is a bit selfish but in this can that can be understood. I wish that Sora hadn't gone on some levels as well. Let's take some time to make sure this battle is truly ours rather then stand around worrying though. We have to trust in our sisters, brothers and oddly the orcs this time. It was once said that we should have some allies just in case we ever needed them but none of us ever believed the day would come that we would truly need them for their combative ability. I suppose we wouldn't have if things didn't change.”

Dan, “Change from what?”

Mirin was silent for a moment as he looked down towards the floor. “Dan why don't you come with me instead? There is something I want to try on the lower levels. It's something that if we can find it and if it still remains should make Zarena very happy if our other sisters rather angry.”

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Alex could feel his hands trembling as he struggled to adapt to Zarena's attacks. He could feel his energy weakening and the earth slowing in response to his will as the power the Amalgam had been supplying him weakened. He had been forced to change strategies in order to protect himself and the more valuable chambers. He did this by shifting the location of his own chamber and while he was forbidden from moving the one the Amalgam was using he could change the earth around it so that the force was redirected. Their was a problem with that though. With each attack Zarena reduced the amount of earth that he had to work with and the stone she did strike was greatly weakened so that it could not function the same again. With no knowledge of how much time he had to buy the Amalgam he was growing increasingly desperate.

It wasn't just Zarena that he had to worry about though. The battle in the shadows had been going poorly every since two generals had fallen. He felt it was going poorly when the generals had been engaged in battle but this was beyond that. With the fall of two of them Nightfang's capacity to participate in the battle had increased greatly and now the wolf spirit was nearing the mountain itself. Some kobold shaman had tried to stop him but they had fallen. The mages and shamans were progressing rapidly as well though lagging behind the wolf spirit they were also working to reclaim the land for the forest which was further hindering his ability to hold back Zarena.

Losing their grip on the shadow realm also meant those sisters who had been kept back were now moving rapidly towards the mountain. If it hadn't been fear of entering into a structure Zarena was so clearly intent on destroying entirely they would have been surging through the mountain most likely at this point. Instead they were now focused on the kobolds that had taken to the air. Apparently they were also thinking more clearly with the collapse of the oxygen stripping barrier that they had been using to force them back.

***************************************************************************************************

Rita, “Here you go Flora.” As she spoke Rita lay a small pile of what was thumb sized stones and larger next to Flora. They were the highest quality stones she could find on short notice but she believed they would work.

Flora, “Thank you very much Rita.” As she spoke Flora continued to work her claws through a stone she'd been given earlier. She only needed a few seconds to reshape the stone into something far more suitable for throwing. She placed this one in a pile of four she'd already prepared and then handed them to Rita. “Make sure these count.”

There was a wide grin on Rita's face as she took the projectiles and began to dash towards a particular target. The kobold had been one of the kobolds that directed the sound attacks on their ears earlier. As she ran though she had to remind herself that these were new breed and shaman. She couldn't hold back if she wanted to take them out of the sky. All the sisters knew this and they also knew that even a direct hit might not be enough to take one of them down.

It felt odd to be crafting what was effectively a toy in most sisters eyes while a battle was going on but Flora couldn't think of any other alternative. The kobolds had adjusted to the limited range their shapers could influence too rapidly for them to continue wasting the mystic elixir they'd been provided. So they had been forced to adapt. Her mind had went to a toy from her own childhood. It was natural for sisters and brothers to want to play together but due to their drastically different abilities there was a limited number of games that they could play.

Mira, “Mom I need some more darts.”

Flora actually felt a grin form on her face as she looked up at her daughter. “You mean you finished before Maria did?” Even as she was speaking Flora continued to work as quickly as she could to carve the stones.  With so many sisters to supply it was proving difficult though.

Mira, “I'm not sure about that. I haven't been able to keep track of Maria since she had me stuff my ears.”

Maria, “What are you doing back here already?”

Upon hearing Maria both Mira and Flora turned to look towards her. It was Flora that began to chuckle first though. “Maria I hope you know that your sister has already used up all her darts.”

Maria, “What? You got your darts after me though where are you finding so many kobolds?”

Mira, “Um I don't know how to answer that the question seems kind of silly. I don't believe you ever played this game did you Maria?”

Maria, “No. Oh so that's your secret. I bet while we have to wait for a kobold to seem vulnerable you can hit more illusive targets.”

Mira, “I have noticed you all seem to be taking your sweet time when it comes to trying to hit your targets and your accuracy is pretty terrible. Carter and I used to play darts together though. Don't you remember mom you said you smell his scent on me before.”

Flora, “Oh you're right! I became so used to smelling him on you that it slipped my mind.” As she spoke Flora handed Mira ten of the stone darts instead of the five she'd been handing to other sisters. “Actually I believe I've smelt him on you recently as well.”

Maria, “Really! You've been hanging out with Carter?”

Flora, “I would say she's been doing a bit more then hanging out.”

Mira, “Hey! No talking about me when I'm not here.”

Flora, “But you.” Flora was made to chuckle as she watched her youngest daughter dash away clearly wanting to put some distance between herself and the conversation. “Alright Maria you're going to have to wait a moment while I prepare more. Perhaps I should have had your sister stay and help me carve since she has prior experience.

Maria, “Could I help some?”

Flora, “No. Sorry sweet heart but speed isn't always an advantage. You'd be more likely to powder the stone with how quickly you like to work them to form it properly. You know whenever I was a child this was one of the preferred games since with slight modifications to the ammunition used the ability gap between brother and sister could be closed enough for some real competition. We could predict the wind better then they could due to our ears and response to touch but that was often taken of care by finding a calm location.”

Maria, “Hey mom what has been going on between Mira and Carter.”

Flora, “Now Maria your sister said she didn't want us talking about that. Anyway, the brothers were permitted to use standard arrows while we made use of stone ones that we carved ourselves. The brothers believed that the use of stone arrows helped compensate for our physical power and natural muscle control. I suppose if we weren't so strong the weight would have been a problem but well a few brothers learned otherwise and started insisting that we use the same darts as them to be fair.”

No response came right away but  Maria took a moment to look around and noted her sisters running about. She could hear the sound of Zarena pounding away on the mountain slowly reducing it to powder and she was made to grin. “Should we be talking about this during a battle?” 

A slight chuckle escaped Flora as she looked at her daughter. “Maria I am making what amounts to toys to be used as weapons because we have such limited ranged combat abilities without our brothers. I'm afraid a little reflection on the past while I work is wonderfully suited to the situation. That doesn't mean we can't watch the battlefield though. Now. Our brothers noticed that these darts gave us an advantage. The more delicate ones they were using were actually worse for us as they forced us to slow down our throwing speed so we didn't destroy the dart. This meant we had to be more observant of wind current and the rate of fall just like our brothers did. They managed to beat us for a long while.”

Maria, “Mira has already learned to judge wind current hasn't she?”

Flora, “I'm sure she has. Naturally none of us can judge the wind currents in the sky perfectly except for perhaps Zarena but you have an advantage all your own. I've seen you throwing. You impart such a high velocity to your darts that the wind has little time to influence it. Try to observe how the winds blowing sweet heart and think about how it'll influence your dart over a long distance though.” As she spoke Flora handed her daughter some darts.

Maria, “I thought I was doing well.”

Flora, “Perhaps compared to your current sisters. If I could actually join in on the throwing though I would put you and your sister to shame. I wish some of the veterans were here.”

For a moment Maria said nothing but continued to look at her mother then she gave a slight chuckle. “You just wait. I'm going to kick your tail at darts once we're done here.”

Flora, “Oh?”

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Nathan, “What's happening Linod?”

Even as they spoke both mage and shaman were currently sprinting towards the mountain that had began to boil and shift as if it was mist rather then a solid object. Violent hissing could be heard coming from it combined with screams and groans. A great feeling of sickness had began to wash out from the mountain and now Linod found himself growing concerned.

Linod, “They're doing something to the barrier between the spirit and physical world. I believe something is trying to pass through into our world.”

Nathan, “What though? This energy I don't even know if we should be rushing towards it.”

Linod, “It's the energy itself that's trying to pass through they're trying to manifest this power in our world! We have to strengthen the barrier to try to slow the flow.”

Nathan, “If we stop it though it'll begin to flow backwards and then it'll be our problem. Wouldn't it make more sense to try to drain it and redirect the energy?”

Linod, “That is a good idea but where do we put it?”

Nathan, “Don't you know some spirit that would like to get its hands on that energy?”

To this Linod gave a quick nod. “You make a good point and I see one now.”

This was too much for Tazona to stay away from. While the kobolds energy flowing into the world had been directed to the Amalgam there was far too much energy for the spirit to take in by itself. Too much excess energy flowing wildly for the dragon spirit to hold back from so that she moved towards the mountain and began to inhale. Instantly she noted the pull of the Amalgam as it struggled to take in as much of the energy as it could and prevent her from consuming it. The dragon spirit was having none of that though and began to inhale all the more sharply steeling some of the kobold's life energy away from the Amalgam and taking the power for herself. Yet this was but a tiny ripple despite her best efforts.

For a moment Linod said nothing but took in a deep breath. “I wonder if Kelah can feel the spirits power growing right now. I suppose that doesn't matter.”

Nathan, “You mean your daughter feeling the Amalgam?”

Linod, “No. I mean the dragon. Nathan we need to do what we can to disrupt that energy flow now. We will begin working on stopping the flow between worlds while you protect us. I believe this is the tasks our two groups are best suited to in this situation.”

Nathan, “Alright, we'll put up the strongest barrier that we can.”

Linod, “I hope that we don't need it.”

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The power flowing through the room had become suffocating to the point that Qulex found  himself on the ground gasping for breath. Despite this trouble though he continued to channel energy into the root as his master told him. None of the kobolds remained standing now though a few seemed to be trying to crawl. Where they hoped to go he didn't know but it didn't really matter. “Master they are nearing their end.”

Amalgam, “As are they all!”

This was no voice in the head or feeling Qulex encountered now. His eyes were made to open wide as he saw the roots branches coming together and faces emerging. The first that he noted had the eyes of a spider yet attached to it was the muzzle of a canine. It's teeth were twisted into savage hooks while it's tongue seemed that of a snake. Another head soon joined the other the other. Horns adorned the new head while it whore a ravens beak yet a beak that was filled with hundreds of teeth the eyes were clearly that of a snake. A third head soon  joined the other two yet another mixture of creatures until a total of four heads adorned the creature's body their positions an odd mixtures of incorrect locations.

As the creature's heads formed more of its body could be found. Wolves paws mingled with spider legs while a massive pincer adorned the creatures right side. The pincer itself was covered by many small legs that seemed as if they could serve as blades or as tiny clasps for whatever purposes. A massive row of teeth could be seen throughout the creature's stomach and for a moment they parted revealing a glistening network of greater fangs within. A horrific stench filled the room as did an odd buzz that seemed to make the kobold's bone rattle.

It was a hard sight for Qulex to see. While he knew his master's nature wasn't like that of other spirits to see such a mixture of beings was far beyond what he was prepared for. This wasn't enough to truly concern him for long though. What concerned him was the rate at which the Amalgam began to rapidly fill the room. Natural instinct kicked in and finally the kobold bolted for the exits as had the other kobolds. As he was running though he noted that the new breed had began to move as well.

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Pain shot throughout Alex's being as he collapsed to the ground. A massive stone burst from the wall and struck the mage solidly yet somehow it didn't kill him. Perhaps he had managed to slow the attack just enough? It didn't matter though as he lay there groaning in pain certain that his ribs had been shattered by the force of the impact. The second attack would crush the room though and his pain would end. Finally it would all end. This actually brought a smile to his face as he reflected upon one happy thought. At least the Amalgam wasn't a true demon for all of its faults. He didn't have to worry about being bound to some nightmare creature once his life ended and that brought him some peace. The sound of laughter entering his head pushed these thoughts from his mind though as he felt a new rumbling moving throughout the mountain.

Amalgam, “You are mine mage death won't free you this day!”

As the words entered into his mind Alex couldn't help himself. His mouth opened and a shrill scream escaped him as he longed to see the walls coming in to crush his body. He felt himself rushing towards those walls moments later but darkness engulfed him before he could meet with it and instead of feeling solid earth against his body he felt a thick oil that seemed to slither over his entire being. The gunk gripped his entire body and a sudden tug pulled at him as all fresh air was taken from him while sickness seemed to fill his lunges.

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Zarena could see her target as she worked to destroy the mountain but the mountain was always defending it. She had known something was happening when the mountain slowed though and had been growing increasingly concerned with each attack. As the entire mountain was engulfed in a taint though she had to voice that concern. “Sisters fall back!” Even as the words left her lips Zarena made no move to retreat herself but brace herself for what was to come. She would not retreat until all her sisters were safely out of harms way. As her thoughts turned from killing the enemy to the safety of those around her her thoughts also turned to Nathan.

Amalgam, “Die creature!” The Amalgam found itself brimming with delight as it lashed out against Zarena. Once again the mountain seemed to come to life but this wasn't due to the stone being animated rather it was due to the earth being forced away from a massive talon that burst through and struck Zarena directly in the stomach. The sound of massive chunks of earth being torn to shreds filled the air as the force of the attack drove Zarena back even while she held her stance. A grunt of pain could be heard from the massive sleeper as the Amalgam revealed its new form.

No words had reached Zarena's still healing ears. As she looked at the Amalgam though she didn't need to know what had been said to respond. Zarena quickly lashed out with her claws bringing both arms up in a massive arc her finger tips bristling with energy as she did so. She was truly surprised whenever her claws met with and bit deeply into the Amalgam's body. She had expected far more resistance as she quickly moved her claws upward. She wondered if it was a scream of pain that escaped from the creature's head as she drew her claws through it.

Pain was indeed the Amalgam's concern as Zarena's mutated claws cut through its body. Yet even as Zarena's claws opened it up the creature could feel those openings shutting. Having no desire to exchange blow for blow though the creature quickly surged forward breaking free from the mountain and standing to its full height before rushing towards Zarena. This time it made use of its massive claw making a grab for Zarena's head. The feeling of a massive fist striking its claw forcing it out of the way was not welcome nore was the feeling of Zarena's free hand slamming into its stomach forcing her fingers deeply into it.

A slight chuckle escaped Zarena as she looked at the creature. “You're an idiot.” With those words Zarena quickly pushed off the ground leaping above the creature before driving both her feet into the Amalgam's center most head. The sound of the impact filled the area even as the Amalgam brought up a scorpion’s tail in hopes of impaling Zarena. It was only greeted by the feeling of Zarena's hand taking hold of the weapon and using its own momentum and her strength to drive the tail into the Amalgam's own back.

Zarena wasn't going to waste this opportunity taunting the creature. With one hand holding the tail stationary she brought her right hand up and drove it fingers first claws extended into the tail. The result was like before her claws cut through the Amalgam's flesh and severed the tip of the tail from its body. She was a bit surprised whenever no fluids flowed from the opening but hardly concerned as she tossed the tail to the side. Her eyes had revealed to her what she was dealing with and she couldn't expect a spiritual being that crossed to the physical world to obey natural laws. The way the creature thrashed about told her that it understood pain.

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Alex's world was a blur of pain as the Amalgam was being picked apart by Zarena. The sickness running throughout his body and the corruption further fogged his mind yet through all of that he found himself calling out. “She knows how to fight she isn't just big! You can't defeat them with your strength alone you must out fight her!”

Amalgam, “How!” Even as the Amalgam spoke it began to look through Alex's memory trying to find the guidance that it needed. It remembered their ears had been a weak point but she had removed that now it's mind turned to another as its spider's head turned towards Zarena and released a viscous fog. It was a toxin meant to kill and while the Amalgam doubted it would work against her if it could bother her nose then perhaps the distraction could give it what it needed. When a sudden rush of air came out of Zarena though and dispersed the fog it wasn't at all happy.

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Had this thing ever fought a serious opponent within its life time? Zarena didn't know or particularly care but to use a visible fog and make such an obvious attack against her was ridiculous. Since the barrier had gone up she's been building up low quality air in her lunges now that the barrier was gone she was happy to exhale and take in some fresh air. As she breathed in she was a bit disappointed by the quality of the air but it was still far superior to what she'd been holding onto. Her body seemed to think so at least as she felt her muscles responding to the supply of fresh oxygen and her lunges working more rapidly. Apparently her body was eager to return to its regular biological levels.

The Amalgam seemed to not being holding up so well. Zarena had by now noticed that the wounds she'd given the Amalgam had healed for the most part but they weren't closing up nicely as she had feared they would. The healing seemed rough and scarred as if the region had become infected. The creature's tail wasn't growing back either though the tip had sealed itself off it also seemed these regions were more vulnerable then the others. This only resulted in Zarena increasing the rate at which she was delivering strikes to the Amalgam. Her attacks were somewhat slowed by the creature's desperate attempts to get back on its feet or turn to face her but hardly anything she had trouble compensating for.

Flora had noticed the ease with which Zarena had been taking apart her opponent but responded to the creature revealing itself just the same. “Fall back sisters let's give Zarena room!” The words seemed to reach all the sisters by one means or another as they began to fall back closer to the forest. As she was running though Flora noted several sisters stopping at the locations where their brothers had entered into the shadow world and giving her questioning looks. Apparently they wanted to remain to secure the locations. “It's no good sisters they've moved beyond those locations.” It didn't surprise Flora when despite her words several sisters were slow in moving away from the spot. Had Zarena not been on the battlefield she knew they wouldn't be leaving at all.

While she had heard her mother's words Maria hadn't left the battlefield yet. Rather she was busy rushing about informing the few sisters who had missed the warning that it was time to give Zarena some room. As she was dashing about she also found herself looking for targets of opportunity. Unfortunately several of them seemed rather too high in the sky for her to reach. “Hey Mira didn't you hear mother?”

Mira, “What? I'm retreating. This is just a rolling retreat.” As she was speaking Mira would stop every few moments to toss another one of the darts at a kobold. She was far from playing a fools game though. Mira was already rather close to the edge of what many seemed to consider the safe zone and a few seconds or perhaps less of hard sprinting from her would easily put her in the safe zone. Despite this Maria wasn't content to leave her sister.

Maria, “Here take my darts.”

Mira, “Thanks but don't you want to go for a few more kills.”

Maria, “I just watched one of your darts curve after you through it and strike a kobold's head. When I can learn to do that I'll use them on my own until then they're better served with you. Just be ready if I see that fight come towards us I'm grabbing your tail and hauling it out of here.”

Mira, “Good to know as long as you don't mean you'll really drag me by my tail.”

Maria, “Ah well no promises about that.”

After releasing two more darts Mira looked at her sister. “Don't you dare. Maria I have to admit I'm a little worried though. What will all these kobolds do after we've left the battlefield and it is only Zarena fighting their master? I know she's powerful but that things pretty big.”

Maria, “I'm not sure sister. Are you done with those darts though?”

Mira, “Yeah that's the last of them but.” A grin formed on Mira's face as she held up the shaper. “Want to bet those kobolds are not too busy thinking of darts and their master to remember we still have some of these left?”

Maria, “Oh! I bet they haven't. Come on let's go get our sisters and make use of them before they remember. I just wonder if we should aim for the big monstrosity or the little bastards.”

Mira, “That probably depends on how much we have left.”

***************************************************************************************************

Alex, “You can't fight her with strength you have to fight her as a mage it's the only way I know how to fight!” Even as the words left him Alex knew that his mouth wasn't moving. What was even stranger was he didn't know if he wanted them to be heard. At least if the Amalgam lost the battle both of their lives would end. He would go onto whatever waited for a mortal soul such as himself and the Amalgam would end hopefully as tiny bits inside of other spirits too tiny to ever reform but perhaps still just aware enough to suffer. It was his sincere hope.

As hostile as Alex's thoughts might have been the Amalgam now recognized the truth of the situation. It had to fight Zarena as a mage if it was to hope to win for it lacked the skill in any other area to have a hope of winning. “You truly are a wonderful addition to myself mortal. I should find another of your kind who could more permanently graft you into me. Perhaps one known as a necromancer.”

Only repulsion came from Alex but the Amalgam paid the human no mind. It needed to face Zarena and wasted no time turning a head to face her. It selected its spell quickly relying upon what information about the sisters Alex was able to recover. Energy began to build up within the head yet before it could be released a mystic claw impaled the head pushing through to where the magic had been gathering and instantly disrupting it so that the sudden rush of energy did more to damage the Amalgam then Zarena. Zarena wasn't finished yet though as she quickly hooked her finger and jerked it through the Amalgam's flesh.

There was a grin on Zarena's face that told the Amalgam she had seen the attack coming. Memories of the battle and how she had struck at her forces even in the shadow world returned to the Amalgam and it knew for sure that Zarena must be able to see mystic energies. This only meant she had to use faster casting spells and this time she would not aim for a direct attack as the Amalgam sent energy into the ground hoping to turn the earth to muck as it did to help Alex escape. Pushing off the ground the Amalgam didn't make it a single step before Zarena had landed upon it.

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How stupid was this thing? Zarena didn't know for certain but she had felt the ground shift but it hadn't mattered. The creature had only turned the first few feet of the ground to muck. That was no where near enough to influence Zarena though as her massive claws extended deep within the earth to gain footing as her massive weight pushed her feet deeply into the soft ground. Deep enough that she could still feel the solid earth beneath her feet. What was surprising though was how much damage this creature had taken so far. At first the scars had seemed to be amounting to something yet the creature was still holding together. How many times would she need to cut this creature to kill it? Eating it so that it couldn't recall its body back together seemed a solution to the problem but the thought sickened her. Zarena really didn't want to put any bit of this thing into her mouth. In truth she really wanted to wash her hands and ask the brothers for a deep fur bath down to her skin.

Zarena, “Where do I have to hit you to kill you? If only these eyes of mine were more precise I'm sure I would have ended you by now.” Nearly every word from Zarena was accompanied by two slashes of her claws. The way the creature moved she knew that it was in pain but how much? Her thoughts went to handle an issue as yet again the Amalgam attempted a magic attack that was just too long to allow. Zarena immediately inserted her claws into the gathering energy disrupting it.

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Alex, “Strip the air from around her head again! Try to pull it from her lunges!” Rage flooded Alex as he found himself calling out the most obvious attack that came to him. The pain of Zarena's claws striking the body was beyond what he could stand and he hoped to end the pain if only for a moment. He was surprised when he noted some relief from the pain. Did that mean the attacks that stopped.

***************************************************************************************************

This was just getting funny. Zarena had felt the magic take hold around her head and had respond quickly. Instead of trying to disrupt the magic she had altered her position rapidly leaving the area of dead air behind and taking in fresh air. Had the Amalgam thought to use time magic or further its knowledge of wind magic it could have made the spell more dynamic but the creature had either made the region of dead air stationary or it intended to move it as it had done the barrier. The feeling that she was involved in a serious fight was already leaving Zarena as she found herself almost chuckling.

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Madness seemed to be flowing into Alex along with the pain. Desperation to stop the attack on the Amalgam was pushing thoughts of death out of his mind as he found himself at war with his own desires. Ending the pain now meant prolonging the pain later he was certain of that especially after what the Amalgam had said to him. Still he could feel the Amalgam reaching into his mind trying to bring more words from his lips in hopes of finding a way to end the attacks. “Die you bitch! Die! Die! Die!”

There was a cold surge that ran throughout the Amalgam breaking its mind from the pain for a moment. Hatred radiated from Alex. A hatred so consuming that it would end itself if only it meant ending both of their lives. Rage surged through the Amalgam at the humans resistance to its influence and it found itself flooding the human with all the pain that it could manage. The hatred made no sign of budging though but continued to prove a barrier to the pain. “You will obey me human you will let me into you!”

Alex, “A thousand life times of slavery is better then being part of you! Now just die!”

Amalgam, “I will have your thoughts and knowledge now human!” All thoughts of preserving Alex's life vanished from the Amalgam as it began to violently push through Alex's memories picking for any shred of combative knowledge that he might have. Hatred might have surpass any feeling of pain the Amalgam could cause Alex for the moment but his memories still belonged to it and it would use those to survive this battle. Concern for the future had faded it had to survive the current conflict if anything was to be done.

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What had just hit her? Zarena didn't know for sure but a sudden shock wave had erupted from the Amalgam with enough force to lift her feet from the ground and carry her several meters through the air. What made the attack frustrating though was that as she moved through the air the Amalgam had regained its footing and spun around to face her. At least several of its heads were currently facing other others seemed preoccupied with other thoughts or at least directions. Did each head think on its own? She'd have to destroy all of them just in case they did. It was with these thoughts that Zarena began to shred the Amalgam once again digging her claws deeply into the earth and disrupting the energy the Amalgam used to influence it with her claws. She was surprised whenever it continued to move despite her claws.

All of the ground didn't have to be changed in order to influence how steady it was. The Amalgam had realized that now. It was not as effective but by cause the earth those claws did not reach to shift the Amgalm could still rob Zarena of her footing. This bought the Amalgam precious time as it once again gathered energy for a powerful attack. Sound wouldn't work at the moment but there was still that nose to strike at and this time the Amalgam had no intention of just letting Zarena blow it away. As the gas rushed towards her a powerful gust of wind magic slammed into it caring strait towards Zarena's mouth and nose.

The feeling of something invading her nose was anything but welcome. The smell that came with it however brought a sharp gag from Zarena as she found herself suddenly clutching her throat as the smell seemed to influence even her taste and threatened to cause her throat to lock up. Before she could think of that though a massive claw was made to swing upward and slam solidly into Zarena's jaw with enough force to see the massive sleeper staggering backwards her footing nearly lost. The same claw came rushing towards Zarena's head once again though this time it wasn't aimed at a strike.

Zarena felt the claw taking hold of the sides of her head. The gas still filled her nose seeming to make it impossible for her to take in fresh air for the moment. There was no need for thought on this situation though. Zarena wasted no time taking hold of the claw and pushing off the ground with such force and speed that even water would have sufficed as a jumping off point. Bringing her massive feet upward she slammed both of them into the Amlgam's chest. There wasn't the satisfaction of hearing bone crunch however only the slosh of sludge being forced to the side but the relief of feeling her head released. Seconds later a rapid snort escaped Zarena expelling the gunk from her nose.

That had not been expected. As the Amalgam watched the goo being ejected from Zarena's nose it could hardly believe it. It's attack had been meant to keep her from breathing the entire fight but instead she'd expelled it in a matter of moments though it still seemed to be bothering her as she gave several more rapid snorts as if trying to clear her nose. What's more its attack had apparently done very little damage despite having lifted her from the ground. This was in fact the reality. Even for a sleeper their strength and endurance far surpassed what their mass implied. An attack that lifted them from the ground didn't always hurt them.

There had been some influence on Zarena from the Amalgam's attacks despite her recovery from them. The sudden improvement in its attack patterns assured her it was learning. As Zarena considered this change in fighting habits she made a decision and broke off contact with the Amalgam leaping away and landing roughly three strides distance away she then lowered herself into a crouch position and dug her claws deeply into the ground while her eyes focused on the Amalgam. The creature looked at her as if it was perplexed by her response and a chuckle escaped Zarena. “Sisters I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to this land but it's time to end this.”

While no one could speak with Zarena they could understand her as could the Amalgam. In response to this threat the Amalgam wasted no time raising itself back up and bracing its body for the attack. A horrific explosion seemed to shake the entire forest moments later and two massive craters appeared where Zarena had been only moments earlier. While the Amalgam believed it knew how to make the earth shift now it was made to positively tremble as Zarena moved at her true attack speed easily moving to the side of the Amalgam. None of its heads could follow her movement and soon one of them disappeared as Zarena  drove her hand into the head sinking her arm up to her elbow into the Amalgam her mystic claws disrupting the creatures very being.

Shrieks of pain resounded throughout the areas as the remaining heads were made to tremble from the pain. What had just happened? Zarena's movements had changed completely and it wasn't just one strike. Nearly the moment Zarena had sunk her arm into the Amalgam she struck it with both feet using the power of her legs to rip her arm free of the creature. As her fingers were moving throughout the Amalgam she made it a point to hook them to do as much damage as she could. Normally this would have served to rip the organs out of a living creature and from the way the Amalgam was responding it was working quite well against it.

Mira, “What was that mom! That attack Zarena just did what was it?”

Flora, “There you two are. What do you mean Mira? That was just a basic attack from a high speed sister.”

Maria, “High speed?”

A slight chuckle escaped Flora as she continued to watch Zarena. “Zarena's been holding back this entire fight to keep from destroying the land. Just look at the earth wherever her feet meet with it though. Anything her feet touch while she's moving at that speed will be destroyed. I can feel the shock waves from here. Didn't you notice Zarena's build when you looked at her though?”

Instead of responding Mira took a moment to look at Zarena. Amongst the sisters physical differences such as height and mass were limited but there was some differences. Some sisters were built more for speed and agility for striking at a weak point and then retreat. Other sisters such as Mina and Kersara were built for power. Their natural muscle mass being higher then the average sister though the two of them had pushed it far beyond the norm even for a sister built for power. It was a strange moment for Mira though as she truly looked like Zarena. “She's as small as Maria!”

Maria, “Hey!”

It was impossible for Flora to keep from giggling as she looked at her daughters. Mira was naturally thicker then Maria in terms of both muscle mass and bone mass. This granted her greater strength naturally but impaired her movement and speed to an extent. Though Flora wouldn't have defined Mira as powerfully built she was more of a moderate while Maria was what one might term a striker. “Yes. From a proportions perspective Zarena is as small as your sister. Which for the life of me I don't know where that comes from.”

Mira, “So she knows how to fight like Maria does?”

Flora, “Can't you tell? That charge she used just now that was meant for a striker type sister to allow them to put all their power into a single attack. The agility needed to carry that power while maneuvering so much is quite extensive though.” Even as she was speaking Flora watched as Zarena quickly worked her claws through the Amalgam. Instead of making simple slashes though she recognized it as a pattern meant to cut a chunk out of ones opponent. “Oh. Oh! What is that!” As she spoke Flora took hold of her nose as had both her daughters.

Maria, “I think it's the Amalgam. Zarena's dealt too much damage for it to hold itself together and I'm going to be sick. I can smell its rot.”

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As Linod continued to channel his energy into strengthening the barrier between worlds he could feel the resistance the Amalgam was putting up to prevent this. Fortunately he wasn't alone in his task as he could feel other powers trying to keep the Amalgam's energy within the spirit realm. One of them he could see the dragon spirit feeding upon the energies. The others weren't quite so clear to him but he had a good guess as to where they were coming from. Every spirit within striking distance was without a doubt trying to claim their chunk of this power. How he wished that some of them would help strengthen the barrier though as he felt his arm shaking. “Nathan is that barrier ready?”

Nathan, “We've been ready for thirty seconds now. At this point we're just streamlining a few things. When do you believe the Amalgam will attack us?”

Linod, “I don't know but look towards the sky.”

Instead of questioning Nathan did as asked at which point he saw several bright flashes in the sky that reminded him of claws. Given how high up they were, their shape and their speed he couldn't help but smile. “Zarena is facing off against the Amalgam now. Do you need any help holding that energy back?”

Linod, “Yes will the barrier hold without you?”

Nathan, “Yes it's self sustaining at this point. Well self standing at least. What will happen if Zarena defeats the Amalgam in our world though and this much energy remains here?”

Linod, “Nothing. If she crushes the Amalgam in your world it's awareness will be disrupted. Even if it does come back here it won't have the focus to fight us and we can finish it off. I'm more concerned about what happens when this energy loses its preferred path at this moment. Please lend us a hand for now though.”

With a quick nod Nathan came to stand beside Linod and began to focus hie energy into strengthening the barrier. Immediately he felt the difference between their magics. Linod was working with the natural barrier in order to strengthen it or in this case mind it after being breached. Nathan on the other hand was more trying to place a patch on the cap which had been created. What surprised him though was how their magics seemed to interact. Had the wound been a natural one Linod would have been seeking to stitch the injury back together while Nathan would have been bandaging the wound with salve. Now both methods worked together to far more effectively cover the wound and the energy immediately showed it as it began to quake.

Linod, “I think the Amalgam just took more notice of us.”

Nathan, “What makes you so” there was no need for Nathan to finish but rather he went silent as a massive stream of lightning struck the barrier they'd only put up recently. The violent crash of the energy shook his ribcage and forced him to squint his eyes so that he could continue to see. He could hear a slight humming as the shield shook under the influence of the attack. “It's holding just fine.”

Linod, “How do you know?”

Nathan, “The sound it's making now. It's being affected but unless the barrier is screaming it means it's holding.”

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Pain shot throughout the Amalgam as it continued to have its power restrained even while Zarena tore it apart. Alex was gone so there was no way to call upon him any longer. Most of its kobolds servants had fallen and all its generals were gone. If it retreated to the shadow realm then it couldn't leave this domain and would be faced by all the spirits, mages and shaman that had gathered there. While if it remained here it would soon fall to this beast. It would fall sooner now with its power being restricted even further by the mages. It had to find a way to counter Zarena now yet nothing came to mind. She was stronger, faster, well armed and more experienced then her. The only thing that the Amalgam had was the spells that it could cast through Alex yet this creature had been built so very resistant to magic.

What about the others though the smaller ones? The question flashed into the Amalgam's mind even as the response was being carried out. The creature outstretched several of its many limbs from different parts of its body but all pointing towards the same targets. The influence on the Amalgam's body was immediate as its flesh began to bubble as energy brimmed in those few limbs. It felt Zarena's claws meet with those limbs and only flooded more power into them the pain this resulted in was staggering but it had the desired effect. The energy continued to build as the Amalgam prepared to direct its attack towards the sisters who stood outside of the combat zone. Surely the smaller ones were more delicate then the larger though striking them wasn't what the Amalgam hoped for.

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Flora, “Take cover!” Frustration flooded into Flora as she began to sprint away from the attack area. They had thought that moving outside of the main combat area would mean they were safe but this had never happened before. Whenever someone had been threatened it had always been a brother never before had an opponent attempted to take the sisters hostage. However, this was a unique situation and Flora cursed at herself for not considering the possibility. She was quite concerned whenever she felt something strike her back with surprising force. When the force only left what she assumed would be a deep bruise though she knew what was happening as she looked down at her daughter.

Mira had been taken along for the ride though her position was even more awkward then her mother's. Mira was currently positioned over Maria's shoulder with her tail pointed into the air. It was uncomfortable and awkward but given the situation she wasn't complaining. She did have some words for her sister though. “Run faster!”

Maria, “Trying but your weight is throwing me off balance.” Even as she was speaking Maria was adapting to the extra weight and putting on more and more speed. At least she wasn't having to carry a brother as she paid small branches and other distractions no mind. Rather she chose to plow through them even as she left several sister's behind. Unfortunately she couldn't pack all of them. Before the attack was released she heard an impact that shook the entire area though and knew what had happened even without looking. Zarena had planted herself between the sisters and the Amalgam meaning the attack was soon to come.

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This was not a welcome sight. As Zarena braced herself to take the attack she knew that it was to come soon and a low growl escaped her as she stared at the Amalgam. No words could be exchanged as Zarena felt a massive release of energy. She could practically see the ripples running throughout the air and then she felt them meet with her body. What Zarena felt wasn't the magic itself though the Amalgam seemed to know better then to try that. Rather she felt the influence that the Amalgam had on the environment. Thousands of tiny pressure waves had been created so precisely that they seemed more like cutting edges as they moved throughout the air. The supersonic flows struck Zarena's flesh nearly engulfing her entire body as it did so.

As the flow moved over Zarena's skin it didn't rely upon a single struck to damage her. Rather the air seemed to vibrate rapidly where it met with Zarena's flesh such that it seemed a blade was being slammed against her skin thousands of times a second. There was no fear of this blade breaking though as it would continue as long as the spell was supplied with energy. The first few hundred didn't seem to do anything but soon pain began to run throughout Zarena's body as the tiny strikes formed bruises and then began to break through the skin. What was reddened skin began to bleed and then burst of blood began to raise up as the cut region was given several more strikes. No howls of pain came from Zarena though as she continued to focus on the Amalgam rage building within her even as she felt the tiny cuts engulfing her body.

A desire to move from the attack was there but Zarena knew that she couldn't. If she were to move to avoid the attack even now it would continue on towards her sisters. How many of them had escaped the attack area? Did it matter or could this spell be redirected? She didn't know so she couldn't move and had to take it for as long as she could. Yet she wasn't the only one suffering. As Zarena looked at the Amalgam she could see the influence of sustaining this spell on its body. The energy needed to push the spell to such a limit was clearly taking its effects on the Amalgam as the creature seemed to be consuming its own flesh in order to sustain the spell.

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It was a sight that filled the sisters with rage. Zarena who had been ripping the Amalgam apart now stood between them and the attack a seemingly invulnerable wall at first. Then the color had began to appear in her fur. Zarena's gray and white fur was slowly being turned red from her own blood soaking into it. The scent of blood began to carry towards the sisters and they knew the smell of Zarena's blood and her rage. Several cries of anger and protest escaped the sisters but concern for what approaching that attack would mean for them kept them at back as well as the more sensible sisters acting as barriers.

Was this attack going to be enough to bring down Zarena? Maria didn't know and she didn't intend to find out. “We need to use the last of the shapers! Everyone aim for the Amalgam and be ready to fire. When you hear my roar use all the remaining potion you have.”

Despite the situation Flora smiled at her daughter and began to run to get into position. She had less then a thimbles worth of the potion remaining but she intended to use it. Apparently all the other sisters liked Maria's plan as they began to get into position. None of them fired by themselves feeling certain that what they had remaining wouldn't be enough to influence the Amalgam. If they all fired together then it might make a difference though. There was urgency in their movement despite this cation.

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This was beginning to seriously hurt. Zarena could feel the attack all too well now and while no single attack felt worse then a young sister scratching at you in anger or perhaps nipping you the fact that thousands of theme engulfed her body was truly unpleasant. She needed to stop the attack so that she dug her claws into the ground and found herself trying to push towards the Amalgam. As she began to move though she found that the cuts grew all the worse whether this was due to the Amalgam becoming more desperate and increasing the rate or proximity being a factor in this attack she didn't know but she knew it was happening. Unfortunately retreating wasn't a choice. If she were to do so she knew the attack would spread and it could engulf her sisters.

Zarena's assumption about the attack growing more intense the closer one came to the source was indeed correct. The spell the Amalgam had chosen tended to spread out so that it could engulf a great many weaker enemies. However, when up close when the attack wasn't able to spread it's concentrated power could be devastating enough to a single strong foe. It was nearly the perfect attack for such a situation and Alex had been with holding it. As Alex's spirit was no longer there to hinder it the Amalgam found itself able to enjoy all the spells contained within his body. Unfortunately it could feel the energies having a negative affect on Alex's body. In time his flesh would burn out as it was forced to process so much information and she would once again be missing her mage. Fortunately the new breed stood ready and now it only had to survive this battle and its plans could continue even with set backs.

Mystic energy had to come from somewhere. Zarena knew this and in the Amalgam's case it was coming from its own flesh and blood. In time it would run out of this though and the attack would stop. Who would be the first to fall though? Zarena could feel her body beginning to shift under the attack as she struggled to block out the pain. Her eyes had been closed to protect them though she could still see the Amalgam's energies. If she could have moved to the side she could have easily avoided this attack but so long as her sisters were so close she couldn't do that. Why weren't they retreating though? Surely they could see that she needed them to fall back so that she could fight. Her answer came whenever she noted another massive wave of energy.

With its attention so focused on Zarena the Amalgam wasn't prepared for all the shapers being used against it at once. Fire and lightning met with the creature on either side and shrieks of pain escaped it as it found its energy flow suddenly disrupted. With its energy focused so completely on Zarena the flames were able to take hold in many locations and even as the shapers ceased to form mystic fires the natural one's forced the Amalgam's attention away from Zarena. This served to rapidly weaken the spell as the Amalgam strove to put out the flames the flames were soon joined by a new pain as it felt Zarena's claws rip into it once again.

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Flora, “Fall back! We won't be used against our sister again.” Out of energy for the shapers Flora had no trouble calling the retreat especially after seeing what had just happened. They had actually been used to handicap Zarena and it was humiliating. Despite having managed to aid their sister to an extent the fact that had they not been there Zarena wouldn't have needed aid didn't set well with any of the sisters. This was perhaps the first time that Flora had truly felt ashamed her combative ability as she began to run along side of her sisters.

As strange as it was for any sister to have to retreat especially in numbers Maria didn't know what to think of the situation in the least. Since she'd developed her mutation fighting had been quite an easy task. They'd been allowed to grow larger and stronger then they had in some time as well. Yet here they were having to retreat from the battle it brought a question to her lips as she looked at Flora. “Mother if we had went without the shapers or Zarena would we have won?”

Flora, “Yes we would have. The cost would have been frightening though.”

As she ran Mira found herself biting down on her lower lip. They were being forced to fall back so they wouldn't hinder Zarena. It was upsetting and before she knew what was going on she found some moisture forming in her eyes as a feeling of shame seemed to be building up within her chest with each step she took. Before she could think about it a cry of frustration and anguish escaped her. It wasn't the only one that was heard. The decision was clearly rough on several sisters as Mira's cry was joined by many others to the point that the trees seemed to vibrate with the sound of their cries. In the end they were doing what they had to do though. Many were uncertain as to whether or not the pain was due to being forced to run or the fact that they had been used against their sister. Others wondered if it was because they hadn't realized the situation sooner.

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A low growl escaped Zarena but before she could attack again a violent cough shook her entire body and she found herself suddenly staggering backwards as the pain of her cuts made it hard to stand. How deep were the cuts at this point? Her legs didn't seem to want to respond properly and there was a tingling running throughout her body. Had the attack poisoned her as well? It was a troubling thought but there was one thing she was certain of. Her body was trying to heal itself as she found herself taking in several rapid gasps of breath in an attempt to feed her muscles what they needed to recover. The sound of movement reached her ears and she realized they must have repaired enough for her to hear again. She had a good idea of what was going on as she heard her sister's cries. Even in her wounded state she couldn't help herself and her voice was soon added to her sisters for a moment before she focused on the Amalgam who seemed to be having trouble of its own.

The flames from the shapers weren't going out it appeared as the Amalgam struggled to put them out. Even places where the flames didn't reach seemed to be breaking apart as the Amalgam was clearly having trouble holding itself together. Between her constant attacks, the difficulty of sustaining the magic and the few attacks she'd got in before she'd needed to stop it wasn't doing any better then her it seemed. If it hadn't been able to take advantage of her sisters she would have killed it with no trouble whatsoever though and that frustrated Zarena to no end. Now she found herself having to consider pushing the attack now while her body was badly weakened or waiting for her body to recover somewhat. It was a troubling issue as she saw the fires beginning to shrink in size.

Even if she wasn't moving her body though Zarena found herself focusing on the Amalgam looking into its body and trying to decide on where to attack next. A chill ran up her spine and she suddenly made her decision as she noted a concentration of magic energies. They didn't seem to be gathering for an attack but she knew what she needed to do. Zarena's weakened legs still shattered the earth as she pushed off the ground with amazing force and thrust her right hand towards the Amalgam intending on sinking her claws deeply into the creature. She felt something slam into her stomach bringing forth a sharp gasp of pain as her wounds were further aggravated by the tendril yet it could not stop Zarena's momentum as she pushed forward and drove her claws towards the concentration. She felt her hand sink into the Amalgam and pain shot throughout her arm as her cuts were disturbed by the Amalgam's touch.

Pain continued to build in Zarena's stomach and arm even as she pushed her attack forward and then she felt her claw's pushing into the area of concentrated magic. As the energy was forcefully disrupted a sudden rush of pain shot throughout Zarena's arm and a loud roar escaped her as she felt the energy rushing through her arm. Had this been a trap of some kind? A sudden tightness caught Zarena by the arm as if to prevent her from pulling her limb free and she grew more certain of it being a trap. Her actions were chosen quickly as she pushed her feet firmly against the ground and pushed forward to drive her arm completely through the Amalgam and area of concentrated magic.

A sudden burst of heat and energy grazed Zarena's face as the Amalgam's body seemed to explode. Suddenly the energies seemed to light up the Amalgam's body even more so as if they weren't just hurting her but were also feeding the mystic flames that had remained on its form. The creature seemed to give off a screech. The first one that Zarena could hear and in many regards she wished that she hadn't. Had she just fallen into a trap like she had feared or had she cut into something else? She didn't know but one thing was for certain the Amalgam didn't seem to appreciate the situation anymore then she did. In her weakened state Zarena knew this was the greatest pain that she had felt in a long time.

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She had found Alex's body. In her weakened and unfocused state the Amalgam had made the mistake of allowing the beast to find Alex's body and she had pierced it. Apparently they were both feeling the consequences of Zarena's actions though as the Amalgam found itself having trouble controlling the mystic energy it had been using Alex's body to do so. It wasn't as if the affects were all bad. Apparently the out of control energies were having quite a profound affect on Zarena as well. There was one unfortunate fact to all of that though. The energy was effectively what composed the Amalgam's body as it was being used up so was its body. Despite all of this it was determined to hold onto Zarena and insure that she endured as much of the damage as possible. A sudden lurch forward from Zarena told the Amalgam something was coming though.

A scream of rage that seemed to cause the earth and trees to vibrate at once escaped Zarena and she pushed forward. The Amalgam felt the burden to hold onto Zarena increase as did the pain and then it felt something slip. It had been prepared for Zarena to pull away but as she lurched forward the creature felt its body yielding and the disruption grew all the more intense as Zarena's mystic claws cut further into the creature's body flawing it all the more. A sound similar to a massive amount of air breaking free of tar could be heard seconds later as Zarena's suddenly jerked her hand free and took several steps backwards nearly falling over her own feet several times as she did so.

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Instinctively Zarena held her hand to her body protectively even risking a glance down at the limb to see its condition. She wasn't happy to see that all her fur was now missing as was a good deal of her skin. How long had it been sense she'd last been burned? This was only a temporary distraction though as Zarena turned her eyes back towards the Amalgam and watched as the energy seemed to bubble up out of the creature's body running rampant over and throughout its being catching fire to several location. Zarena wasn't certain what she had hit but she knew that it was important as she watched the creature's body falling apart. Instead of moving to attack though she braced herself to evade should the creature make any last ditch attempts to strike her.

While Zarena watched the Amalgam several sisters could hear the battle and now looked towards the combat zone wondering what was happening. A powerful temptation ran throughout the crowd to run back and see what was going on but none listened to it. They knew better. Instead their roars seemed to fill the air each one carrying the same question. It was a cry for wounded sisters to respond to. Many began to smile when they heard Zarena respond despite the confirmation she had been hurt. There was no distress her voice and that put many to rest despite the feeling of the mystic energies running throughout the region. Not all were at peace though.

Mira, “What's happening to our brothers? They're still in the shadow realm!”

Flora, “I don't know Mira but we have to trust in them to see themselves through this. We can't go back now.”

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This was not actually the worse case scenario. It was a strange thought to Linod as he drove both his hands into the ground and worked to take hold of the massive wave of energy that rushed towards then and direct it into the land itself. Fortunately the energy deprived land was eager to accept the energy as was the spirits which had gathered in the region. As he listened to the sound of the barrier responding to the backlash though he had to ask. “What does that sound mean?”

Nathan, “It means the barrier is doing its job! We're working on backing it up right now though.”

Linod, “So it's suppose to fluctuate like that?”

Nathan, “Under these situations yes. It either binds or it breaks.” Despite his words Nathan found himself mentally hoping that the flow of energy would stop soon. They had been working to stop the flow of energy to the Amalgam so they'd been prepared for a backlash but this was towards the upper limits of what they expected. “I believe the Amalgam was killed!”

Before Linod could respond something caught his eyes. “Nathan there is a crack in the shield!”

Nathan, “I know we're trying to mind it. How much longer can this go on?”

Linod, “You're not sounding very confident.”

There wasn't time to respond. Before Nathan could even think what to say a massive figure appeared before them with its head arched high into the sky as the energy flowed into it. Nathan had never seen the figure before but he had a good idea of whom it was as the creature was clearly a wolf. His believe was confirmed as Linod responded though he wasn't expecting the tone of his response.

Linod, “Nightfang it's good to see you old friend! Especially in this situation.”

At first the wolf spirit said nothing but continued to soak up the energy. “You as well. After after all your presence means you can help me absorb this energy.”

Typically Linod would not agree to offer a spirit a free service. Due to the nature of the situation he was made to grin. “In return for you shielding us.”

Nightfang, “Naturally.”