RP:Speculations, Spellcasters, and Sprung Traps

Part of the The Ice Plague Cometh Arc

Main Road's End

Kuzial never left Frostmaw after being allowed in for the Festival of Aramoth, though what he's been doing would be anyone's guess. There's been no reports of corpses with multiple stab wounds, well, none more than usual, so perhaps the drow hasn't been murdering the citizens... unless he has and no-one has found the bodies... but if such is the case, then he is hardly guilty of any crime. Nevertheless, whatever it is the drow has been doing, he's never kept his ears far from news within the city, and the most recent found its way to him. That stain... forged by the death of a wraith. Gone. Was Vuryal back? Kuzial hoped so. His many blades still sing with the desire to slay the bug. So he decided he would speak to the queen about it. With that in mind, he waits upon the road leading to the outskirts of Frostmaw, sure Satoshi will pass this way eventually. Wearing a finely cut full-length coat, he still cannot quite escape the cold; that ethereal hammer which seems determined to break Kuzial down and drive him back to warmer climates. But he would not leave... not until he has at least spoken to Satoshi.

Satoshi likes to think she's isn't predictable, and yet, there's the familiar outline of Kuzial Stavret, waiting like a damned vulture at the end of the road for her. It takes an effort of will not to pull up short and make her surprise obvious to the keen-eyed drow, Satoshi's stride instead altering from her loping walk to a more dutiful pace. When she draws up in front of Kuzial, at a distance that's too far for ease of stabbing and too close for swift spell-casting, Satoshi gives him a curious look. A hint of weariness is evident in the form of lines beneath her eyes and a slight pinching at the corners of her mouth, which is now drawn back into a faint smile. "Lord Stavret." The magus' tone makes the words a greeting as well as a question as to why the drow is in Frostmaw.

Kuzial watches Satoshi walk close with an unreadable look in his single scarlet eye. Gone are the usual signs of his eternal anger, though whether he's merely disguising them in front of someone who is, by all accounts, a rather worthy advesary, it's not clear. He takes in her face, noting the weariness which echoes faintly upon her features, before offering the queen of Frostmaw a slight nod of his head. "Queen Satoshi." Having little desire to prolong any meeting between himself and the queen, the drow continues to speak in his euphonious voice, the sweet, lyrical tones contradicting the words. "I was not... allowed... to see for myself, but the remnants of Vuryal's plaything are gone." There is a hint of anger in that. Kuzial not allowed to do anything typically makes him angry. "I have heard that much. Has he returned? If he has, will we hunt again without fear of daggers or shards of ice in our respective backs?" As always, Kuzial is straight to the point.

Satoshi wants nothing more than to sigh and massage her aching head, but she refrains. Images must be kept, when under the watchful eye of a highly capable drow. No faltering. Instead, Satoshi closes her eyes long enough to give a slow nod in response. "Part of the ice the wraith's corpse tainted has been stolen, under the cover of a storm. I have my people investigating the matter through every means possible, but we do not have further information yet. My assumption is that the Leech is back, gathering the wraiths he lost in hopes of restoring them. I have heard no other whisperings among the shadows to suggest it is another, unknown, party." Just how far does the magus' net extend? She'll leave that for Kuzial to decide. "It is no simple power needed to remove such a corruptive and dark element. Until proven otherwise, I will assume it is the Leech. And I, for one, have not had reason to go back on our prior agreement, Lord Stavret." She lifts an eyebrow, silently asking if he wishes to change where they stand with each other.

Kuzial listens in silence to Satoshi's words, though what exactly he makes of them doesn't show at all upon his face. It remains locked in an expression which is almost stoic, except for the underlying anger which flirts upon its edges. "How can one steal ice, tainted or not, from right beneath your nose?" Without waiting or really wanting an answer, Kuzial continues. "It doesn't matter. It appears your conclusions very much mirror my own." For a moment the patron drow falls into silence, before nodding slightly to himself. "If it is the leech, our last agreement will still stand. And despite my reputation, it will not be broken by me. If it is something else which seeks to harm your city, then I do not care unless it also seeks to harm me. You will deal with it yourself, or with the idiots you surround yourself with." The drow nods again, this time to Satoshi. "I will listen closely, Queen of Frostmaw, to whispers which may escape those things you call ears. If I find out anything important, I will leave a note for you at your house." The drow's look grows a touch sly at that. "I know how much you enjoy my letters."

Satoshi feels somewhere deep within the familiar uncoiling of that wrathful serpent called Asorial, as if Kuzial's taunts are enough to make the creature stir in its sleep. With haste, Satoshi clamps down on her emotions. There will be none of that, not on the magus' watch. But she'll have to be careful, for the stress of the Time Lord's possible return is a weight that is already forging cracks in Satoshi's state of mind. One slip up, and Gospel's offspring will awaken once more. As this goes on internally, outwardly Satoshi merely widens her smile into a coy smirk. An elegant tip of her head to one side follows, along with the slightest wink of an eye--was that a taunt to his missing one? Perhaps. "Oh, you know I adore your letters~," she purrs venomously, "Now then, was that all you paid me a visit for? I assume you have kinsmen to cow et small children to terrorize, thus I wouldn't want to keep you all to little ol' moi~. Greed esn't becoming, tu sais." Kasyr's stolen accent is thick and obvious in Satoshi's voice simply to be a thorn in the drow's side.

Kuzial is betrayed only by a slight twitching of his eye as his anger rises within him, but he would not allow Satoshi the satisfaction of knowing how irritated she makes him, just as she so skillfully hides how much he does her. After a moment of silence, the drow grins like a shark, before offering another slight nod. "That is all, queen Satoshi." His fingers itch with the desire to draw forth his blades, but he pushes down the urge viciously. Not here in Frostmaw. Not against her. "I will leave you to your business." That said, Kuzial turns and stalks back towards Frostmaw. Considering he is wearing dark clothes, it's almost amazing how quickly he seems to vanish into whatever shadows linger around the road. He has no real fear of offering his back to the queen - he saw enough in her to know she was wary of the coming leech, or whatever it is which threatens her home. He is confident she would not try to destroy him at such a time... that would be left for another day. He can hardly wait.

Satoshi waits until Kuzial vanishes from sight, and then waits that much longer again, before she sighs with a great huff of exasperation. "That drow. One of these days, I'm going to show him the business end of an icicle and see how he likes it," Satoshi mutters to herself, so softly even her own ears almost miss it.

Svilfon , unlike the drow before him, was allowed access to where Bozrah's taint was removed from the ice. He had spent a long time in contemplation over the issue, reading countless books without once seeing the words, letting his mind merely wander down its own paths to destinations he could never force. But even still, he had come up with little. But he didn't wish to wait any longer before seeking out Satoshi, so, having left the library, he wanders out the cave and onto the road, before weaving simple spell. Into it he speaks the words, "Lady Icicle.", before waving a hand before him. If all goes to plan, the spell would let her know he seeks her out. If not, well, someone would suddenly hear the snow queen's title spoken aloud in the wizard's voice... but Svil's sure the Frostmawian citizens are used to such things now.

Satoshi is spared from more mental murderings of Kuzial, called back to reality by Svilfon's voice. As she looks up to locate the wizard, the kit's whiskers give a ripple down their silvery lengths. Ah, he's using magic to contact her. With a nod of understanding, as if the wizard can see her, Satoshi draws forth her Xalious staff only to bury its end in the snow before her feet. The frozen wood gives a single pulse of azure light, one that will be echoed by Svilfon's wand. Born of the same tree, the staff calls to the wand, so that if the wizard points his weapon in or approaches the right direction its pulse will quicken, like an arcane game of Hotter/Colder. Satoshi simply waits now, near the gates to the hunting grounds.

Svilfon feels before seeing his wand pulse with its own scarlet light, in echo to the living branch which Satoshi holds glowing with its azure; Xalious wood calling to itself. The wizard twists his wand around his hand once, before wandering further onto the road. He can see the wood flashing quicker as he heads away from the city, and so in that direction he goes. He could have tried teleporting, but with his mind distracted it would probably take him longer to locate the queen. So he walks with a brisk pace, eyes only leaving the wand in his hand when he slips on ice which the wizard is sure was snow just a moment ago, and falls over. He grunts as he gets to his feet while dusting himself off; that same thing had happened a lot in the last few days. Svilfon is beginning to think that the Frostmawian snow is warning him not to try singing to it again. A lesson the wizard takes to heart; he had been exhausted after the last time, when teaching Satoshi her spell. So after dusting himself off, and even kneeling down to pet the snow and murmur an apology to it, the wizard goes back to wandering out towards the gates, following the light of his wand until he nears Satoshi.

Satoshi catches the flash of crimson light, a color that stands out clearly against Frostmaw's pale background, and seconds later she spots the wizard behind it. How did he get snowdust all over himself? With a short laugh, Satoshi draws her staff back out of the snows and rests it atop her shoulder, even as she turns to face Svilfon. He's offered a salute with her free hand. "Wizard~. You called? Excellent timing, really, I was about to come looking for you." A pair of Frost Giants ambles past then, their heavy armor clattering with each step. Satoshi watches them a moment before looking back at Svilfon. She jerks her chin toward the gate, saying, "Walk with me? If we must be overheard today, it should be by the trees and not the people, I think."

Svilfon offers Satoshi a tip of his hat in response to her salute, even as a small smile plays on his lips. "A wizard's timing is always perfect, lady icicle. You should know that by now." A brief wink is sent from eyes which glitter with amusement, before the look fades and he speaks again. "I thought you may be looking for me... I've spent some time..." The wizard pauses then as he offers the Frost Giants who amble past a tip of his hat, before nodding his head to the queen's words. "There is nothing I would like more, lady icicle." He extends his arm to her with a friendly grin, a look which hides rather well his concern. The snow queen looked tired, strained; only a shade, but Svilfon knows like any iceberg, the truth of Satoshi lives beneath what most people see. So though offering his arm is done in friendship, it's also something he can do to aid her; loan a shade of his strength to the queen, even if all they're doing is going for a walk.

Satoshi accepts the wizard's arm not out of politeness. She's past such points with Svilfon. No, she accepts because she knows he can see beneath the mask she's trying to maintain. He, better than most, knows what the threat of the Time Lord's return means to Satoshi, and what weight it places upon her. And so, while an offered arm might seem a simple gesture, it is a heartening one to the magus. It tells her, above anything else, that she has people she can lean on in this matter. Svilfon's arm is thus leaned on, albeit lightly, and she begins the trek toward the forests ahead. It's only when they're out of earshot of the guards that Satoshi is willing to speak, until then keeping her face closed off and impassive. Now, the expression melts to one of concern. "I have no doubt you've heard what happened. If even that blasted Stavret heard, then Frostmaw's finest wizard surely has." A sigh. "Are you thinking the same thing I am? The Leech?"

Svilfon walks out further away from Frostmaw with Satoshi beside him, seeming for all the world like he's content - two friends merely enjoying each others' company as they go for a walk. The only thing which spoils the wizard's look is the way his eyes move quickly across the snow, seeming to watch everywhere at once. He was confident Satoshi would sense danger before it arose, but he wouldn't let down his guard at such times. When they are far enough away, he listens to her words before replying. "Blasted Stavret?" Perhaps the wizard doesn't want to know. "And yes, I have heard, Satoshi queen. And seen." He falls silent again, then, before shrugging slightly. "My first thought was Vuryal returned; reclaiming that which was taken from him to give life again to the wraith we destroyed." Well, Satoshi destroyed, but Svil carries on without correcting himself. "Such would require great power, though. And I did not sense such great power being used." In truth, during the snowstorm in which the ice was stolen, Svil hadn't sensed -any- magic around him. A rare thing, indeed. "But perhaps it was hidden from us for just that purpose..." It's somewhat clear the wizard's thoughts have been going in circles, trying to solve this mystery. "What do you think, lady icicle? Do we need to prepare for war?" Not that Frostmaw was ever unprepared for war, of course.

Satoshi echoes Svilfon's thoughts, "Frostmaw is always prepared for war. And yet, I feel like we are not. Not truly. Something is... -not right-. I feel it like the breath of a ghost, from my whiskers to the tip of my tail. Who else could it be beside the Time Leech? And yet, it is not his nature to deal in stealth. He is always loud, blatant, and arrogant. But he also has the means to accomplish what was done without us sensing anything. Had it been necromancers, even Lady Death, you or I would surely have felt it. There was no taste of the arcane in that storm. It felt natural enough to even me." As Satoshi speaks, she stares ahead blindly, lost in her thoughts. Her boots drift across the snow without aim, only drawing them further and further from the gates.

Svilfon unconsciously, despite being the one to offer Satoshi his arm, follows where she walks. Like her he is blind to where exactly they go, but it does not concern him, unlike her words. "Powerful is Tenebrae, lady icicle. Despite my... dislike for her... she is a master. But even she could not cast such magic without one of us sensing it. I am sure of it." He nods, then. He's very much aware of how much magic it takes to disguise magic, often much more than spell itself. He doesn't think Tenebrae is powerful enough to cast magic strong enough to remove the stain without them knowing. "It does not leave many others. But Vuryal is one. He is powerful enough." Those words almost seem like they're torn out of the wizard's mouth - he has no love for giving compliments to the leech. "But like you say, it is not his way. He'd have a herald come tell us what he's doing, sure we could not stop him..." The wizard falls silent then, before speaking in a voice so quiet most would miss his words, though Satoshi could hear them. "I think I fear what is coming, lady icicle. Even if it is, more than likely, the leech." Svil is not one to really fear anything, clearly he has no fear of death. But this... it does not sit right. Like a faint odour in the air just beyond perception... something is wrong.

Satoshi looks anywhere but at Svilfon, for the words she's about to speak are difficult enough to admit without meeting his gaze: "I fear it too." Since the instant she'd found the piece of Bozrah's grave missing, there has been a lump of metal sitting in the pit of her stomach. With each passing moment, each anxious thought, it has grown heavier and colder. It is a cold unlike the eidolon has felt before. True and honest fear. Even her instincts, so trustworthy in seeing her through the worst situations through either fight or flight, have abandoned her so that she is frozen as a deer before the wolf. The Time Lord has always unnerved her, it's true, and yet he's always been obvious in his methods, something Satoshi's found she can face through stubborn will. If this is the Leech's doing, he has changed his methods wildly and left Satoshi grasping frantically for a reason -why-. The foxkin heaves another sigh then, and the forest seems to answer, a few nearby trees dropping branchfuls of snow to crash to the ground in a glassy symphony. But it's the sounds beneath the falling snow that makes Satoshi pause and look up, expression thoughtful. "Did you hear something?" The forest lies still, too still, for the magus' liking. She can't sense even the padding paws of wildlife through the snow. In fact, she can't feel Svilfon's own signature tread from beside her, now that Satoshi is paying attention. "Svilfon..."

Svilfon nods in silence to Satoshi's own quietly spoken words. It was not an admission these two made lightly, and in truth, the wizard is glad the snow queen feels it to. Though, Svil is very studious, and will contemplate much on matters which interest him, in situations like this he usually just... acts. Be it instinct or something else - he'd tell you it's all part of being a wizard - he would just do what felt right, confident that his actions were true. But now... he feels like -nothing- is the right thing to do. Like the paths of his life that stretch before him each lead to damnation and suffering, regardless of which he decides to take. It is not a feeling he is used to, nor is it one he likes. And he is about to tell Satoshi as much, before she pauses and looks up. After she speaks, Svil strains his hearing - though, it's no where near as keen as Satoshi's is - but he cannot hear anything... anything at all. "I didn't..." He looks around, then, pale eyes piercing as they seek out something, anything. "What is it, lady icicle..?" The wizard doesn't look at her, his gaze never leaves the area around them.

Satoshi's gaze darts about, searching for some clue to the answer Svilfon seeks. It's then that she spots it, just out of the corner of her eye an oddity among the backdrop. The magus turns and squints at a tree paces ahead of them. Faint lines mark the tree's trunk, irregular enough to be overlooked as bark growth until Satoshi takes a slow step to the left. The tree behind the first carries similar marks, and from this angle the lines match up. "Oh." Satoshi begins to pivot where she stands, eyes level with the tree trunks as realization dawns. Each tree has been cut into, yet the lines are so thin and so minimal that they do not easily catch the eye. But when seen from where Satoshi and Svilfon stand, it becomes clear that the markings are all part of a single design that forms a ring of sigils around the pair. The hair on the back of Satoshi's neck stands rises. She knows those symbols. They're crude and primitive, yet effective in their simplicity: magic dampeners, as used by the anti-magic sects of Aramoth, infamous for their hunting of spellweavers. The symbols by their very nature are undetectable by mages, for they are no more than etchings until magic enters the perimeter to be silently smothered. "It's a mage trap..." As Satoshi speaks, a laugh rumbles from yards away, resolving itself into the form of a Frost Giant as he steps out from among the evergreens. His garb is speckled in the browns, greens, and whites of Frostmawian camouflage, with the loose slacks and sleeveless tunic common of monks. The Frost Giant's hands and feet are bare save for wrappings of linen like bandages. He regards the wizard and magus with a cool, confident gaze, not seeming to care about the rune burned into his left cheek that marks him as one of Frostmaw's long ago outcasts. "Aramoth smiles upon us. We were hoping to catch one of the Xalious heretics that plague Frostmaw, yet two stand here now." Soundlessly from outside the dampening ring appear other Frost Giants in similar attire, forming a perimeter of anti-mages, some with weapons and others bare-handed like their monk leader.

Svilfon doesn't notice the small markings etched into the trees, forming a ring around the pair; snaring them like the finest hunter's trap. He spins though, as Satoshi does; ensuring he remains at her back, watching what she cannot see. He mutters, "lucky I'm a wizard, then." At her first words, though there's very little conviction in it - it's more a reflex to speak flippantly in the face of danger. As the leading outcast speaks, the wizard whispers, "I hope this works," before responding to the giant. "Aramoth smiles, because soon you'll be sent to his realm and he can begin beating you senseless for being weaker than a two day old lamb." Svilfon moves, then, taking a step closer to the leader. "Though, you do seem the type to hide in the shadows while your men," he motions to the other Frost Giants which encircle them, "do all the work." The wizard snorts like he's disgusted. "Go hide in a hole somewhere, I'll come get you when we're done." That said, the wizard tries to summon forth his wand - which he'd sent back to Xalious after using it to find Satoshi. But for the first time since the wizard was given it so long ago, it doesn't come to his call. This does not bode well, but the vampire lets none of this show upon his face. He merely looks at the leading giant with a challenging glare, daring him to attack them first - the wizard hoping his words ensure they are not immediately out-numbered. If they can stop the leader, the rest may flee quicker... if they can stop him.

Satoshi remains standing beside Svilfon, using peripheral vision to watch the surrounding giants without looking around like a nervous rabbit. At the wizard's taunts, all eyes turn to the lead giant, known as Storik. Muscled arms are crossed over a barrel chest as Storik bears his teeth in a wolfish grin. Unlike most of his race, this monk is devoid of hair on scalp, arms, or legs, even the traditional beard gone, making him look unnaturally smooth for a giant. "Hear this, brothers, mage scum rely too heavily on their words to solve their problems. It will not be so today." Snow crunches as Storik slides his right leg back and hunkers down into a low ready stance, one arm in front of him and one poised behind him. The nearest hand lifts two fingers to deliver a beckoning gesture to Svilfon. Satoshi draws nearer to the wizard as more snow crackles beneath the weight of moving giants, the ones on either side of the Coterie mates hefting hammers of blue iron in preparation. Beside one of these giants is a partner who carries a net and short sword. Beside the other hammer-wielder is a monk, younger looking than the others and appearing ill at ease over the whole affair. The remaining monk, opposite of Storik and who carries himself as if second in command, calls out a warning, "Remember, brothers, he wants the ice witch alive." Something about the way the monk says this gives Satoshi the feeling that whomever wants her alive intends to make her wish the bounty was for her death. Ever so slightly the magus leans toward Svilfon to whisper in nearly inaudible tones, "At least they have even numbers, which means we can each take three, hm?"

Svilfon whispers back, without ever once taking his eyes off the giants, "Only three each? Maybe I should sit this one out. Don't want it to be too unfair, after all." The grin he would usually wear with such words isn't to be seen, though. Instead he begins to pace slightly to the left. "Watch the net, lady icicle... and keep an eye on the young one... fear will make him act without thought." Svil shifts his arm behind him just briefly to grab Satoshi's hand before he pauses, waiting for what he knows is coming. It doesn't take long. The two hammer wielding giants retract their mighty weapons, before swinging in perfect unison at the pair. Svilfon twists himself around then, like how he did when Satoshi and he danced, until he's facing the queen front on., Moving quickly, he lets go of her hand and pushes the snow queen's chest with all his strength. It isn't to drive her away, though. It is to push them both apart, away from the horrifyingly loud thunderclap which echoes out as the two hammers collide where once two heads stood. But this is just the beginning. Storik is already leaping for Svil, so while the wizard focuses on the leader, and also tries to keep at least two of the giants in his sight, he misses what happens to those close to Satoshi. The young giant doesn't immediately get involved, but the net wielding giant snaps a command to one of his kinsmen. This one, named Korliath, bends down and scoops up a bundle of snow, before hurling it at Satoshi with considerable strength. It's not to harm her, though. Instead it acts to both blind and distract the snow queen from the true attack, which comes by way of the net being send out in her direction, followed immediately by the giant who cast it, his sword held high, ready to slam down its flat end against her head if she is ensnared, and end this quickly...

Satoshi hasn't danced with Svilfon countless times to falter now, and so she moves with that innate grace of hers when she's pushed. Instead of stumbling, she backsteps and keeps going to avoid the debris hurled up by the dual hammerstrikes. Her backwards pace doesn't slow either, for she's noticed the net-carrier too, and considers him the biggest threat of the bunch. Hammers, fists, and feet she can dodge, but if that net entangles and immobilizes her, Satoshi's single advantage will be removed. So backwards the kit scrambles, easily scurrying out of the range of thrown snow and net alike... and bringing her smacking to a halt against the shins of Storik's second, the monk Jerrithal. From the other side of the ring, Storik watches Svilfon with a sharp gaze. The elder monk's body sways from side to side like a snake preparing to strike. And like a snake, his hand lashes out in a rapid-fire series of two-fingered jabs. A single blow is not crippling, even delivered by a giant upon a human, yet it's the overall effect that marks it as a monk technique: Storik's targets are the vital joints of Svilfon's arms and legs, along with his sternum, five strikes delivered in a pattern meant to set a mage's magic core aflame. Like fire it will blaze through its victim's veins, screaming to be freed, and yet unable to due to the dampening ring. More than one mage has been rended apart by their own magic when facing Storik, and he doesn't see why the wizard should be any different. One of the hammer-wielding giants has taken it upon himself to step in behind the wizard, in hopes this with drive Svilfon forward and into Storik's technique. Satoshi, meanwhile, is caught between Jerrithal and the net-carrier, each of them waiting for her to attempt to dart away. The net waits, if she rushes forward or to the side. Which leaves Satoshi a single option... a grin is flashed at the net giant as she lunges forward, only to prove the move is a feint for she abruptly changes direction to dart toward the gap between Jerrithal's legs. Both giants react at once, the monk lurching to stop Satoshi just as the net extends out to try and capture her, resulting in Jerrithal being ensnared and sent careening into his teammate.

Svilfon watches through keen eyes as the giants come for him, the one behind driving him towards the one whose hands seem to reek of death; something acquired with as much training as it takes to be a mage, the wizard does not doubt, and something to be equally wary of. But like so many victims he himself has claimed, he is neatly trapped by this pair. The first blow strikes true, awaking within Svilfon the surging fire of his magic. The second the wizard dodges more by instinct than anything else, twisting as he does to take the third upon his body - which causes considerable pain but not the inflation of his magic, before the last two are shifted enough to strike true, causing Svilfon to stumble back into the giant behind him. Eyes alight with something akin to madness lift up to see the grinning face of the monk behind him, but he hardly takes notice of the man. He can feel within him, like pressure building up behind a damn ready to burst, the growing strength of his magic. Oh, how it seeks to be free - to devour anything with its might. But the wizard cannot let it go, not now he is trapped. So instead he screams, the sound as feral as beasts, before lowing his head and darting backwards. He scoots between the giant behind him's legs, before jumping up with all his strength and driving the viciously sharp point of his hat into the monk's groin. The grunt he gets in response is ignored as Svil moves back half a pace, watching as the giant drops to his knees, before the wizard charges forward, pushing himself off the prone giant and leaping through the air like an arrow at Storik, even as he feels the pressure inside building at an alarming rate... With Jerrithal ensared and careening into his teemmate, the younger giant's face breaks into a mask of horror. He pulls from his belt a dagger - which is the length of a normal sword to most - before screaming even louder than Svil did and simply charging at Satoshi. His wide eyes watch her keenly, ready to move if she does, before he erupts into a vicious series of stabs and swipes with his dagger. Clearly he's forgotten the no kill bounty, for his attacks are deadly. And despite the fact he is young, or perhaps because of it, his movements are quicker than a giant's should be... and equally as destructive...

Satoshi's original intentions was to use the tangled form of Jerrithal as a springboard to get atop the other giant, until she notices the youngest of the group charging at her in a zealous rage. From beneath the net that's pinned his limbs, Jerrithal shouts out to his comrade, urging him to stop. "Alive! He wants her alive!" The youth does not hear. He is blind and deaf is his fervor to slay the mages and win Aramoth's approval. And he's far quicker than Satoshi gives him credit for, a fact that results in the magus finding her shoulder, side, and thigh pierced with frantic stabs before she's had the chance to properly evade. It's only the sheer force of the young giant's approach to knocks Satoshi backwards, and her small size, that spares her from further lacerations. Features pinched with pain, Satoshi rights herself to face the panting giant, her hands spreading wide as if in invitation for him to charge again. His inexperience shows then, for the Frost Giant does indeed take the bait and lunge toward Satoshi, both hands clamped over the hilt of his dagger as if to deliver more force... but there is no foxkin standing where his blade extends. Rather, Satoshi is crouched upon his clenched hands, eyes blazing with a certain pain-driven glee. The youth might be faster, but Satoshi is faster, and has used his rush to spring up and land easily upon him. Without wasting a second, Satoshi dashes up the extended arms, onto broad shoulders, to stand there with Ko'tar drawn. Satoshi spares a moment then to whisper an apology to the virtuous blade before it's buried in the back of the young giant's neck. The katana screams with the voice of countless tormented bells. Blood splashes upon the snow. Despite himself, Storik finds his eye drawn to the scene. As Svilfon rushes toward him, the monk is momentarily distracted... and yet, reflexes and instinct bring one of the Frost Giant's fists up in a vicious backhand roughly aimed in the wizard's direction.

Svilfon is struck with tremendous force by Storik and is sent hurling backwards, stopping only when his back strikes a growing sapling, tearing it from the ground. But the physical pain is nothing to the surging of agony which erupts within him as his own fiery magic begins to devour the vampire from the inside, to consume not just his body with its growing power but his very soul. An idea forms within the wizard's mind, but he knows the chances of surviving it are very, very slight. But the choices left to him were few. So he begins to prepare, even as he stands and picks up the sappling he broke, holding it within his grasp like a mage's staff. Something he was trained in while an apprentice of the Guild. The first giant he downed is still holding his groin, clearly in considerable pain, and the wizard doesn't waste any time. He runs forward despite the agony, before stopping with a slide which sends snow flying up around his feet. The broken end of the sappling, made of shards of wood, snaps out into the giant's eye, carving through the orb to impale the brain, before Svil draws it out with a spray of blood. As the giant collapses, Svil once again leaps at Storik, his weapon sent spinning through some relatively basic patterns which the monk easily blocks. But its ferocious enough to allow no counter, which is what the wizard truly wants... he needs time to prepare what is to come... With the young giant slain by Satoshi, the two entangled giants free themselves. These two have hunted together since they were young; born into the wilderness of Frostmaw, amongst exiles and beasts. Their life is harsher than most mortals could ever hope to survive, yet these giants do it gladly, willingly. They are ready for this. Acting in tandem without care for their fallen comrade, Jerrithal takes up part of the net and stretches it out, before the two move together with all their combined skill, cutting down the areas Satoshi can flee to as they seek to cornering her with any advantage they can find, using talents normally reserved for hunting beasts. They are skilled, and persistant - they would chase Satoshi until she was close, before, instead of hurling the net, they would try to surround her with it. For once trapped within, even freed of this circle her magic would be denied to her. And the net, though seeming normal, would appear to whomever is trapped within to weigh an amount just beyond their strength to move. They are both very wary of her weapon, and would back away from strikes... but they would not relent until the snow queen was trapped, pinned beneath the net and ready to be taken to whomever it is who wants her alive...

Satoshi, like any cornered beast, bares her fangs in a snarl at the giants and their approaching net. She crouches upon the slumped corpse of the young monk, his blood drenching her clothes and blade alike. Satoshi watches them both as warily as the giants watch her... which is precisely how Korliath, having held back since throwing the snow, is able to circle around behind the magus unseen. Jerrithal and his partner are aware of their third's presence and step forward, causing Satoshi to take a step back. A step back and directly into the waiting swing of Korliath's hammer. By giant standards, the blow is far from powerful. For someone as small as Satoshi, it's like being hit with a runaway wagon and its draft horse. The force is enough to hurl the foxkin sideways through one tree and into another before her form slides down to crumple on the ground, motionless. "You better hope she's still alive," Jerrithal snarls at Korliath as he moves to blanket the net over Satoshi's prone form, "That dark bastard didn't pay us for a corpse." While Satoshi lies unmoving, Svilfon at least has a new advantage, for the tree the magus crashed through was one of the perimeter markers, and its symbols have been destroyed in the collision. The magic dampeners fail, and the wizard's surge of mana has an outlet. Storik does not seem aware of this, the giant instead grinning savagely at Svilfon while he blocks each strike of the branch with obvious ease. A spell-slinger can't possibly hope to rival one of Aramoth's monks with a makeshift staff!

Svilfon 's eyes widen in shock and horror as Satoshi's body crashes through the trees around them, tearing apart the circle. Though his attention was focused on Storik, he still saw her fly through the air and land unmoving on the snow. This is all too much for Svilfon to handle. He feels his own magic within, consuming him with vicious brutality, and all he knows is he must do something... anything... to alter this situation. Satoshi would not die at his side, he would not allow it. Storik is not the first to feel Svil's wrath, though. Instead the wizard throws an over-powered swing with the staff, baring his back to the monk, who steps in and punches him so hard the vampire flies through the air, losing his grip on the weapon, before landing in-between the three giants and the fallen Snow Queen. Quickly he is back to his feet despite the obvious pain, before he steps back to kneel down beside Satoshi. He knew he didn't have long before he quite literally exploded, and not in the good way, but he spends just a moment placing his hand on the lady icicle's shoulder. There, he allows a tiny portion of his magic to flow into her prone body. He knew it would hurt her; the conflicting fire with her essence of ice. But that was the point. He needed her awake. So he gives to her a small portion of his power in the hopes it will work. Regardless of his success, he can wait no longer. The three giants before him are close and the wizard no longer has the strength to resist. He manages to take one step away from the queen, to ensure she's not harmed, before he raises his hands and speaks in a voice which seems to echo with many tones in one. The three giants stop in their tracks like they have hit a wall, before their faces begin to contort and shift. Hands lift up quickly and begin to scratch at their own flesh and within moments they are tearing chunks out of their own faces, pulling skin down past their necks and even ripping at their armour to tear at their bodies. It is a dark spell Svil learned when Daath held the Forsaken Book of the Dead, and the wizard dumps all of his magic into it... every last strand until he collapses onto the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and ears. But the three giants caught in his web... they don't stop tearing at themselves, feeling like bugs crawl beneath their flesh, until each one tears themselves into a grotesque heap of blood and gore. It's only then, as consciousness fades, that the wizard hears Storik's calm voice above the sound of a net being dragged he moves towards Satoshi, "Little, little ice bitch... much you cost me, but much more I will gain now..." It's clear what his intentions are.

Satoshi's mind is lost to a familiar laughter. No, he's dead. He's gone. She ripped out the last sparks of his essence, his voice can't plague her anymore. It can't. And yet, Bozrah's laugh rings clearly through her head, a nightmare that's descended on her since consciousness' fading. And then fire blazes, biting at her limbs, her face, eager to devour her so that the wraith can drag her into Hell. "NO!" It's as near a scream as Satoshi is capable of, a cry of raw defiance and rage as she's ripped back into the waking world. Svilfon's spark of magic has done its work. The delusion dissolves, leaving Satoshi not at the wraith's mercy or in the pits of Hell, but instead shrouded in a net. Pain throbs through the kit's form with such potentcy she can't begin to tell where the source is. The scent of blood reaches her nose and blearily she can see Svilfon's outline dropping to the ground. Beneath her, the ground moves strangely. No, that's the net she's trapped within being dragged. Blinking, Satoshi looks up to find Storik looming above with a fearsome grin on his face. Painfully the magus tries to pull away only to be met with the net's confining grip. She flings a hand out behind her as if her claws sinking into the ground will stop Storik from drawing her toward him, but there is no purchase to be found on the ice... only the blade of Ko'tar, slick with blood beneath Satoshi's blind grasp. The sword quivers as if afraid of the magus' touch, and still Satoshi's grip tightens around it, furtively drawing it closer as she tries to keep Storik talking, "Will you now? I suppose I would fetch a pretty gold piece, wouldn't I? Your employer didn't give you much information though, did he? Simply tossed you to the wolves and hoped for the best, by the looks of it~." She scoffs. "Aramoth's finest indeed!"

Svilfon remains motionless, unaware of what's taking place... Storik on the other hand simply laughs again, the sound without any hint of mercy. "Foolish mages and their words. Like a sick cow you're filled with air, and like a sick cow your fate will be death." Perhaps it's not wise to liken Satoshi to cattle, but the confident monk doesn't care. "But first I will claim my rewards... then I will reclaim my city... and then I will watch as you're torn limb from limb." The monk again lets out a twisted mockery of laughter, unaware that Satoshi has a grasp upon her weapon, though he does often flick his gaze back to the queen. It's clear he's not let down his guard at all, despite the fact she is encased in the net, and he drags her forward with ferocious strength, ensuring she strikes every sharp shard of ice or the few boulders which rise above the snow. Petty, perhaps, but giants were allowed their vengeance... she had just killed five of his men, after all. But at least he had killed the wizard with his attack at the last, and he did have his prize... all in all, not a bad day.

Satoshi snarls as pain tears through her anew at being dragged over the rough grounds, and yet, through the snarl is laughter. The sound is amused, mocking, everything Satoshi should not be doing in her current predicament. It's enough to make the giant give pause. "You must not fight many worthwhile mages." Storik just blinks, watchful, suspicious. Satoshi continues, her hand growing tighter over Ko'tar, "We don't all need words." With this, Satoshi squeezes her hand tight so that the blade's frozen edge slices through flesh, a cut deep and clean. Just as swiftly, the sword is released so that Satoshi's frozen blood can be pressed to the ground. As Svilfon learned days ago, the ice does not respond well when the eidolon bleeds, and that demonstration had been with a small supply of the element. But here, in Frostmaw, where snow and frost are attuned to Satoshi as intimately as a loved one, the result is much more violent. Permafrost is an unrelenting element, having endured countless years bearing the weight of mountains, cities, wars, and storms. Permafrost is the foundation of Frostmaw, and all who tread within these lands do so by the frozen ground's allowance. Now, however, the permafrost has found an inhabitant it disapproves of, for the earth beneath Storik's feet rips open suddenly into a jagged mouth set to swallow him whole. Frostmaw hungers for a little more blood tonight.

Svilfon || Storik feels anger rising within him, despite his years of dedicated training against such things. He is, by all accounts, a walking weapon; fists, feet and sigils against mages, he knows he was born for battle and his God is with him. But, in truth, he was never prepared for this. What can ever prepare you for such a thing? The frozen ground, unrelenting against the passage of time, a solid barrier between Frostmaw and the mountains beneath, older than any memories left, here before any form of writing could speak different of this place. And now it tears open like the jaws of a horrific beast, and all Storik can do is scream as gravity begins to drag him down. He understood he would probably die, but he was going to drag this bitch to Hell with him, then roast her on the fires in Aramoth's honour. So his grasp upon the net never lessons, and without care of her being left alive, he pulls the net towards him as quickly as he can in the same motion as he punches with his free hand. All the force he can muster through years of training, all the desperation of damned soul, pushed into one final punch before darkness eternally claimed him, the blow aimed for Satoshi, his last hope that it strikes her before his own life is taken and destroy the ice mage once and for all...

Satoshi knows she's not out of the woods yet. This is not the first time she's used her blood to trigger a reaction from the ice, however, each time has had a different result, for the magic that induces it is wild and unpredictable. On more than one occasion it has harmed Satoshi as much as her target. This is looking like one of those times, if she can't get free of the net. But the kit can't focus, can't get hold of enough of her magic to weave another spell in time, almost all that she has was poured into the permafrost to create Storik's bane. And now she'll be dragged into Hell with him... As Satoshi searches frantically for a solution, she spots Svilfon's prone form, with his wizard's hat still standing proud. Amber-flecked eyes widen. That's it. That's her answer. Storik's arm pulls back and time seems to slow for Satoshi, every second an eternity. As Storik's punch begins to descend, the magus appears to shrink, outline blurring. A flutter of fabric and a flash of white before Storik's fist buries itself into the ground, creating a crater with the raw power of the monk. Even as Frostmaw drags him below the ground, the giant finds time to lift his hand, only to see an empty net. Or rather, not entirely empty, a smokey blue magus hat sits crumpled where his punch landed, its proud couatl feather obliterated. Wild-eyed, the Frost Giant searches for his quarry and catches a flicker of movement from where the wizard lies. From beneath the brim of his hat a fox's muzzle pokes out, followed by two paws, amber-specked eyes and a pair of oversized vulpine ears. Satoshi lifts a paw to wave farewell as Frostmaw devours the anti-mage, his wrath-filled roar heard even as the land closes up over him. Satoshi sniffs in a 'good riddance' sort of way.

Svilfon slowly, so slowly, claws his way back to consciousness, despite his undead body demanding otherwise. It knew more than he did the damage taken this day, but the wizard isn't going to let something like that stop him. Not if there was still danger present to Frostmaw; the wizard is beyond now thinking of Satoshi as the queen; he sees in the place between awake and asleep the truth that she is Frostmaw, in every sense of the word. As unpredictable and dangerous as the frozen city, but with the same traits of strength and determination which strikes such a simliar chord with the wizard's own values that, were he not a wizard with an affinity towards fire, he is sure it would demand he become an ice mage himself. He understands now, even as his eyes open to see, perched upon his head, a rather familiar fox sniffing in a good-riddance fashion. "By Sven's balls, lady icicle... is that you?" He almost goes cross-eyed looking up at the fox's face, wondering how the hell he ended up with a snow queen perched upon his head, seeming rather smug in a foxish fashion. "We won." That should be a question, really, but the wizard doesn't often doubt such things.

Satoshi saw things in that transfer of hats that she'll never, ever, ever speak of. Ever. It's enough to make her shudder and thus fall off Svilfon's head. Before the kit even hits the ground, her form has reverted, and while she looks thoroughly bloodied and battered, she's otherwise intact. Save for the obvious lack of her hat. "Of course we won," Satoshi primly remarks. Wincing, she reaches up to tug off Riss' sunglasses so that she can wipe dirt from the lenses. "I showed him why we call this land 'Frost Maw'. He realized he bit off...." The sunglasses slide back into place in time for the end of Satoshi's remark, "than he could chew." She might have continued cracking jokes in the face of the life or death situation, were it not for her promptly falling over with a groan then. Numbly, Satoshi stares up at the sky, expression one of purest exhaustion. She feels like a dragon trampled over her, yet the worst of the weariness is mental. "Now we know there is a bounty on my capture, and for the deaths of any Frostmaw mages. Those monks did not seem to like their employer. This sounds more and more like the Time Lord."

[Satoshi shouted, "*obligatory CSI moment* YEEEEEEEEEEAH!"]

[Satoshi ahems.]

Svilfon spends a moment blinking, wondering if he's talking to Satoshi or her husband, judging by her puns, before he simply laughs. The sound a mixture of relief, joy and exhaustion, all rolled into out outburst of emotion which echoes through the bloodied ice-covered forest with the light ease of dancing snowflakes. "Quite," is about all he can muster until the laughter passes, and with another groan the wizard pulls himself up to be sitting cross-legged. His beard looks like a sanguine waterfall as it flows down his face, stained with his blood, but still the grin he flashes can be seen beneath it. "A bounty for your capture, and one on our heads. Fear driving them forward, yet anger too. It sounds more and more like a bug which really does need squishing." He nods, then, causing globules of blood to rain down from his face. "Next time you and I need to talk, let's do it in Frostmaw, yeah? And just throw anyone who tries to listen off a cliff." Svil grins a bloody grin at that before falling back to lay in the pink-stained snow, his eyes resting upon the skies above. "They were formidable, Satoshi. And prepared. We need to be also."

Satoshi doesn't answer for so long one might wonder if she's fallen into an exhausted sleep. However, just when such thoughts might enter the mind, the magus stirs, chest heaving in a low sigh. "We will be prepared. For the moment, we should rest. I can hear the snows again, so we won't be caught unawares this time." Nonetheless, Satoshi will not sleep, she will stand guard while her mind races over possibilities and plots, worries and wars. There is too much to think on, for sleep to take hold.

Svilfon nods his head, burrowing the rim of his hat into the snow a little more... snow which seems less likely to slip the wizard up now. Maybe it's forgiven him for trying to sing to it the other day. Eyes shut as he speaks, "Yes, let us rest... I do not think disaster will strike today, lady icicle, and tomorrow, if it does, we will be ready." He grins again, then, before the wizard falls silent. Like Satoshi, he wouldn't sleep, despite his body demanding such from him. He had a lot to think about, and not just about this coming threat. About Frostmaw as a whole and its queen. It would be a long time before the wizard slept again, but laying here in a snow, at least he can mostly relax, knowing that if anything comes, it will find a wizard and a magus unrelenting in their determination to defeat it.

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