Brandie
*As soon as the fireball impacted the guard, it exploded completely in a powerful, ear-splitting boom. The resulting blast was larger than anything she'd ever cast before; not even when she considered herself at her prime. She winced when she heard the guard cry out in a seared agony, though that was drowned out entirely by the sound of the fireball itself. It seemed to swirl and intensify the longer the fire remained, eventually becoming large enough to completely engulf Oshikuru and the other guard all at once. For a moment, the fire seemed to cease its enlargement as it reached the apex of its fury, then suddenly sputtered out soon after. Her nose caught wind of the scent of scorched flesh; a scent that she'd gotten used to throughout the past two years, yet recently began to silently dislike. It reminded her of the person she used to be: the cold, ruthless kitsune that killed - no, massacred - those who stood in her path, indiscriminate of whether or not they were allies or opponents. Yet killing was something she had to do to survive; this is what she realized long ago. Rather than savor the kill, she became desensitized to it, like how one became insensitive to the action of breathing or blinking. 

She looked at the blackened bodies which stood where the guards once did. Their features, once recognizable, were now completely burned to a char. Yet their final moments of pain were recorded on their faces; their mouths lay agape in a silent scream, black holes replacing where their eyes and mouth once were. She turned away, back behind the cart. Stifling the pang of guilt she received upon witnessing her own handiwork, she instead focused her mind on what exactly had happened to her magic. The spells she'd learned seemed to be unavailable to her, replaced with an arsenal of new ones. How could this have happened? She didn't know. But one thing was certain: She'd gotten more powerful somehow. Once the mission was over, she'd have to experiment around with herself; maybe, just maybe, she could start to puzzle together what happened to her magic. 

Emerging from behind the cart, she took steps forward towards the barracks. More guards were bound to meet them. Or not, perhaps, as it was the beginning of the evening, and dinner time was around the corner. Soldiers would probably be gathering in the mess hall; at the very least, if they heard the explosion they would be thrown into a state of confusion, if not panic. Reasoning that they had some time - though not much - she took tentative steps past the bodies, ignoring Oshikuru's wounds as she walked towards the front entrance of the barracks. 

"He'll be fine. He's still standing, anyway." She thought to herself.*
Paul
*As expected, even a somewhat botched swing was strong enough to take out the other guard. Then, there was fire. However, instead of shielding his face and trying to back away like a __coward__ would do, he stood there, letting the flames envelop him. And when the fireball dissipated, Oshikuru stood there, completely unscathed. Not even his armor was singed, and his weapon remained a shiny gold. His blood-red skin looked as if nothing had ever happened.*

*The demon turns towards the fox, and Artoria can see him eyeing her armor and sword before addressing her directly.*

"Try not to hit your teammates. Next time, they'll end up a charred corpse just like them."

*Oshikuru points towards the two corpses with his weapon then marches with Artoria towards the barrack entrance, making sure to crush the charred skull of one of them under his foot.*
Brandie
*Artoria noticed Oshikuru eyeing her sword and armor. What was that in his eye? Jealousy? Greed? She couldn't tell. As far as she was concerned, there were nothing behind that gaze but rage.*

"Noted. Though I can't promise anything. Sometimes," *She began, with an icy undertone in her voice,* "Teammates end up being part of the collateral damage. Mostly for the worse. Though occasionally, just occasionally, for the better."

*She turned away, continuing towards the front of the barracks as she heard the crunch of a skull underfoot. A bit extra, though she didn't really care too much of it.*
Belinda
They walk past the back of the barracks, into the narrow pathway between the barracks and another building. This pathway is relatively long, and by the time they have reached the end of the alleyway to the main road - they can already hear the voices of several Silnari and Macens yelling. In front of them is a collection of roughly six or so guards, dressed in much the same fashion as before. Four of the guards are Macens, and two others are Silnari. Of the Silnari one of the guards seems to be in better gear and carrying an arming sword and a heater shield rather then a spear and oval shield. He wears better armor as well. 

Behind them, they can also hear yelling. One guard appears at the end of the pathway, turning his head to look back before yelling something about "They're over here!", More voices can be heard in turn and it would seem as if there are enemies approaching from the rear as well. Since they managed to take the guards up front by surprise, they have yet to formulate a response.



Sergeant - (Lathian Silnari) HP; (35) Def; (22) distance; (2 tiles)```
Paul
*The oni charges in with his tetsubo, swinging at the less armored elf. His weapon transforms into a wicked guandao as he's sure he's going to hit, sweeping it and hitting a macen guard as well.*

```Defense: 18
Atk 1: 21 | CRIT 26 Sweep 18
Atk 2: 18 | CRIT 26 Sweep 18
```

*The demon lops off the top of the Lathian guard's head, with the blade gouging into another's face. Another swing cuts a macen guard in two, also killing the macen from before. 3 down.*

*Guards slain: 5, 4, and 3*
Brandie
*Taking this path was a mistake. There was practically no leeway to move in the path they had taken, which meant that the Oni charging to meet the guards at the end of the path completely obstructed her view. Judging her options, Artoria realized that there wasn't any point in trying to support Oshikuru from where she was; she had to find a better viewpoint around her. Scanning the walls, she noticed that a good majority of it was structured - or at the very least, reinforced - with wood. There was a chance she could climb it, but that would have to wait; she heard a small militia of guards stampede their way towards them, spearheaded by a single one - one who had caught sight of the pair. 

As the guard yelled, "They're over here!" To his comrades, Artoria readied another fireball. The oni was inadvertantly acting as cover for the macen, however. There was a little space where she could launch the spell, however; a space that required masterful aim to breach. Yet she took the chance anyway. She trusted her aim, and conjured another fireball towards the end of the pathway.*

Defense: 12
Fireball: 15 damage, 11 to hit ```