Virginia
This was her least favorite type of job. The Wilted Rose struck down one of the last villagers, cutting off the young woman's scream with a squelch, as her reaper spirit chased down and finished off the few that had managed to run. In this small village not terribly far from the road, she had massacred every single person. Some asshole noble decided the destitute village had been late on their taxes one too many times and had hired Adelaide to make an example of them. Perhaps the noble hadn't exactly asked for *Every single* Person to be slaughtered, even the children, but the former knight had a hungry group of hosts to feed, and the hundred odd souls would do just fine to keep her literal demons at bay a bit longer.

Addie's face was set in a deep scowl underneath her horned helm. Normally she wouldn't do a job like this without Alexander, but he had found a lead far too promising to pass up, and she could never say no to coin. She tried to push down the errant thoughts and feelings as she wiped the blood off her sword and began to loot whatever might be of any worth off these people and out of their homes, another ask of the noble to make up the taxes. As she stepped out of another home empty-handed, she couldn't stop the images popping up with sudden violence in her mind of armored men doing somewhat the same to her own family when she was younger, but they were all threats and thievery; she meant business. Though it pained her, regardless, to inflict the same fear and suffering on others; a rare moment of empathy for her.
** **

Taking a nearby cart and dumping its useless contents, she put on the assorted things of value she had found. Not much, but a few items too big to carry, and her horse was tied up nearby to pull the cart. Blue-green eyes swept over the gorey scene down the village road once more, the frost in her eyes melting for just a moment, before she huffed an exhale and finished securing the goods. Now, to make it back to the noble on the outskirts of Aeterna without catching the attention of any soldiers or do-gooder sorts; she *So* Detested the do-gooders. But really, she detested most everyone, so they weren't special.
Jose
It was then when at a distant valley, the visage of a shadowy figure emerged. A figure of a horse-rider appeared on the horizon, a tiny blip on the distance, and yet, equally as ominous as it was mysterious.

The horse then sped into a gallop, appearing in record time to close the distance with Adelaide. The horse seemed to leave solid tracks in its wake, sliding down what seemed to be a smooth floor that manifested in front of it just a second before the horse landed its feet on the ground.

The closer the rider got, the more was revealed. It was a woman, dressed up elaborately and also with heavy clothing, despite the warm weather in these areas. The horse seemed to be made out of a blue mineral that reflected the gaze of the sun and the horizon, its mane appearing less as such and more like white snow. 

Sasha stopped just right before Adelaide, her crystal eyes heavily glaring at her. To say she was livid is an understatement, as well as saying she was staring daggers. If looks could kill, Adelaide would have died eight hundred times over, her soul never resting for the punishment she'll receive.

**"You."** Sasha revealed her sword, as blue as the crystal-seeming horse she was mounted on. **"I know what you did. Did you think you could get away with that?"**

Sasha wasn't the kindest person on the planet. Sure, she had done her fair share of underhanded techniques here and there, and may have ended the careers of some of her magical peers... But murder? A massacre? Even if it meant she'd ascend to godhood, she'd never stoop that low. She was disgusted.

**"You are worthless. You are a blight. Like a rabid dog, I will put you down."**
Virginia
It certainly wasn't the first time Adelaide was viewed with hatred and disgust; she felt confident that it wouldn't be the last, either. Whether it was her cold, unforgiving personality or the heartless atrocities she committed on a regular basis, she could count her friends and allies on one hand, without using the whole hand. Being on the receiving end of such ire was nothing new and thus hardly bothered her. The woman that rode up to her *Did* Look quite impressive. Clearly also a practitioner of the arcane arts and, guessing by her dress and her mount's icy trails, probably a great deal of cold magic, if not exclusively that. As the woman rode up and stopped in front of her, the former knight sighed, dusting off her bloodied gloved hands as if she'd just done a hard day's work and now had to tend to the next thing; and in some ways, those things were true.

Eyes just as hard and cold regarded Sasha from within the horned helm, looking her over before an amused chuckle left Addie's lips. **"I'm sure you do. It's not like I tried to hide anything."** Her tone was frigid, laced with all the irritation of having to deal with something like this immediately, as she gestured around to the carnage in plain sight. **"I get away with things like this all the time, so, yes."** She said, as if speaking to a stupid child.
** **

A true laugh left the redhead at the insults thrown at her, and her voice sounded somewhat amused, **"I thank you for the compliments and have to quite agree. But I think you'll find that I wouldn't stay down even if you** Could **Kill me."** Her left eye began to glow purple from the shade of her helm as she drew and planted her chain-wrapped, rune-carved sword's tip into the ground, chanting in infernal. The fresh corpses around them began to jerk and rise, some forming a line between the two women while several others began charging her and her steed. Moving in behind her line of undead, Adelaide took her sword, swinging it above her head, the chain unwrapping and seeking to grasp Sasha and pull her from her horse.
Dennis
Watching my apprentice (*Daughter*) and my companion (*Wife*) throw hands
Jose
**"Not this time. Never again."**

Just as the other woman's eyes turned purple, Sasha's own eyes were transformed into a blue, bright light. The wind around them blew a powerful but cold breeze, flakes of snow manifesting in the air. Snow, at this time of the year. Had it not been for her clearly influencing the environment, it would be seen as a curse or an omen by most.

Raising her hand to a fist, the ground from which the undead rose from turned completely solid, transforming the soil from dirt and mud to a solid sheet of ice. The first line of defense Sasha had against the undead, to immobilize them or at the very lot slow them down before they could reach her. Part of her thinks it would be easier to simply end them all and be done with it, but that may be a massive disrespect to the dead. Desecrating the very corpses you're sworn to avenge.

The practitioner of ice raised a wall of ice at the last second toward the incoming chain, coating it with an additional magic barrier to help with its halting of the flying object. A close call, for the wall was literally inches away from her face. Once the chain was presumably deflected or otherwise disabled, Sasha aimed to bring the attack to her.

The crystal horse stood on its hind legs with a powerful neigh, then charged forth towards the columns of undead blocking their necromancer master. The steed sped up enough to gain momentum, and for a moment it looked as if Sasha would charge a solid infantry wall head on...

Up until she leapt from her horse and levitated with the help of a "Cloud" Of snow, circling above the wall as the steed continued its charge. With this, she attempted to strike back by throwing shards of ice at the knight, sending multiple every time she cast them from her hand.
Myriam
WE'RE GONNA CRA- 🗣️
Virginia
The ice witch's care for respect and propriety left the necromancer with plenty of replacements above the frozen solid ground. When you created and commanded the undead, when you were ostracized, such social niceties held no meaning and often presented themselves as hindrances. Some of the skeletons sticking part way out of the ground simply broke apart, like forearms detaching with a hand skittering off or arms pulling a torso with snapping jaws forward. They wouldn't be of great help, but they would be hindrances nonetheless, which was still beneficial; the strength of less powerful undead lay in their force of numbers. Sweeping her gaze around, left eye still glowing brightly, Adelaide chanted more fervently and quickly, more corpses of the people she'd just murdered beginning to stir, thin layers of ice cracking loudly as they slowly rose. Beneath her helm, her teeth were gritted in a grimace; damned ice mages always freezing the ground!

The chain thudded impotently into the ice at the last second, and an irritated grunt escaped the former knight. Of course, this arrogant woman would have to *Both* Interrupt her *And* Make this harder than it had to be. Watching the horse charge her and her minions, the logical thing to do would have been to move. But she was stubborn to a fault, preferring instead to meet the attack head on. 
** **

The Wilted Rose watched with no small amount of admiration, despite her irritation, as the mage began to float above on a cloud of snow; it truly *Was* Beautiful, even she had to admit. Her undead were easily trampled by the horse but slowed it down long enough for her to pull a stupid, risky move, but one she had to attempt since her ranged options were a bit limited. Pulling her shield quickly off the cart, she managed to block most of the ice shards in the first barrage with it and her plate mail, save for one that stuck in the soft break between metal plates under arm. She dropped her sword and knocked it out, reaching down to grab the skeletal hand and forearm trying to skitter by her feet. She cast blight into the pitiful creature, then flung it straight up at her opponent. If she was lucky, it would at least graze the woman and infect her regardless. If the universe felt like allowing her a small miracle, the hand would grasp onto some part of the woman, perhaps impeding her casting and acting as a ranged spell attack for blight. 

All of this happened in mere minutes, as Adelaide turned her attention back to the horse now about to slam into her. She tried to nimble dodge to the side, but her foot caught on something on the ground and she began to fall; no matter, she could still get a hand on the horse, which was all she really wanted anyway. Grabbing a crystal of its mane, she put all she could muster into a powerful and quick-spreading cast of her blight, the black spiderwebs of its rot beginning to fissure out from where she gripped as it dragged her along.

After a moment she let go, hitting the ground with a soft thud. Scrambling to find her feet, she dashed back, eyes on the woman and the horse, to attempt to get her sword. Wishing to take no chances, she spat infernal as she ran, working on the summoning for a lich. Surely some fool among these dead would suffice in life force to use in such a way, even if only as a vessel for a powerful soul.
Erik
Not my best writing, but hopefully it's fun! 🙏🏼