There was no relenting in his opponent, that much Argin could tell as the screaming metal from both blades ground against each other mercilessly, each seeking to taste the flesh of its foe in its eager dance of death. Argin's calculated moves versus Cruran's berserking instinct, the level of unpredictability that the titan of a man clearly displayed even caused a mild shake in the calm void he embraced to keep his mind clear, the only way he knew how to fight this... man. With the biting of steel before them, the bandit chief added to the grinding of steel with a heavy, bloodthirsty roar in response to Crurans own, any form of intimidation could only benefit him. He had to make it clear that he was also not afraid. He strove for control, to try and reign the fight back into his favour, only the primal growling from his opponent could have made a rage demon blush. It came to no avail as the barbarian lived up to his dire expectations, an unpredictable move once more and it didn't benefit Argin in the slightest.<br/><br/>Argins momentum had quickly become his burden as the man disarmed himself to only swing a wild back-fist against him, if it was blind or not, it was a move that worked all too well as the bandit chief found himself unable to escape the hit. The weight of his titanic self only threw itself more into the connecting backhand, and because of it, it was the first time he found himself flat-footed, stumbling aimlessly to one side as a brief daze enveloped him in a mild shroud of confusion. It was long enough for Argin to become unaware of the barbarians next move, a crippling strike to the mans knee.<br/><br/>With an agonising howl, the man went down with his supposed prey, the blade instinctively being discarded in an attempt to free himself from any burden. He too was now stripped of the weapons of war and left with the only weapon the cursed Maker had left him with. As the pain of the blow surged through his bulky physique, it didn't take long for the pain to grant him a level of desperate clarity and adrenaline to fuel the tempest brewing within him.<br/><br/>Much like a snake, the man coiled around his victim with every attempt to topple the man, anyway to seperate himself from the mistreated pebble-stone beneath them. It took immense effort to force his forearm upwards to protect and haul the upper torso of his prey over him, the strain build up from keeping such a powerful man at bay for even just a few seconds with his block forced out another breath-taking roar as battle-infused adrenaline surged through him, drawing his right arm back as strength built up rapidly before thrusting a harsh and powerful blow for the barbarian's jaw, attempting to force the man below him to finally get that advantage. In a fight like this, whoever could get on top could only be the victor.<br/><br/>"<span style="color: royalblue">I will kill you!</span>"<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>A slightly amused smile on the Desire demons lips was all the tell-tale signs it was willing to give as Luna finally spoke the words it wanted to hear, it certainly seemed to please the creature. The book in it's hand began to hover over its palm, showing no real effort on its part to place the book on the hard oak table before it. The demon soon then continued with her approach, each step took towards her was one with purpose. Each step was as seductive and alluring as the last but as the gap finally began to close, it became more like a predator, stalking its prey, decorated with an enchanting and inviting appearance. It felt welcoming despite its intentions.<br/><br/>Softly, its unnatural palm planted itself against the small shoulder of the elf mage. There was no hostility in the action and if she pulled away or not, it made no difference to the demon. It would not have changed anything as it attempted to close whatever space there was before them regardless to snake its arms around her in a gentle and warm embrace, pressing its naked figure against the clothed elfling shamelessly.<span style="color: magenta"> “Then it is done, you will have what you seek. But what I seek...”</span>A slight chill would have tainted the air for but a moment as the demon pulled back to meet the elflings gaze with her obsidium black orbs.<span style="color: magenta">“... you will find out soon enough.”</span><br/><br/>There was barely a pause in time before the fade started to shimmer, silence lingered for a heartbeat before the books began to rumble. Before Luna could react, the shelves exploded in a violent shower of paper, splintering furniture crackling has it twists in midair, all being carried by a howling wind painted purple, glistening before them and enveloping both Luna and the Desire demon. The creatures smile curled into a more enticing profile as they were cast under a veil of torn paper and violent winds, the ground beneath them began to shimmer before it vanished completely to leave the mage within the arms of the floating demon, held firmly within its arms. The world before them began to fade.<br/><br/>Darkness enveloped Luna, a moment that would have felt like a lifetime... The growling winds faded, even a sound made by her seemed mute. A gradual whisper pierced her mind.<br/><br/><span style="color: magenta">“Aeons of depravity...  blood and sacrifice... power unending... The lost art of Blood Magic is now yours... Luna. Through sacrifice, you shall be free...”<br/>
</span><br/><br/>---<br/><br/>The large tent shook violently as the heavy gales of the plains beat down the lightly clothed surface, candlelight faultering upon the stone altars that decorated the interior. Broken runes laid scattered over the the linen floor-mats, drawn with blood or a tool, it was hard to tell, but their purpose mattered little now...<br/><br/><span style="color: seagreen">“Run for your lives! For all that is holy, RUN!”</span>Familiar panicked screams quickly littered the air as their stripped, naked sacrifice found itself awakening before a small crowd of men, half of those men did not stand at the ready to combat her, pure horror overwhelming them as the elf mage rose from what seemed like the grave. She bore the markings of a sacrifice, she would know that now...<span style="color: seagreen">“She was meant to be a sacrifice!” </span>A startled and panicked demand was met quickly with the fury of their captive, unaware or not, no-one could tell. His eyes bulged, the bodies of the other bandits as well as himself being rapidly wracked in heavy spasms whilst emitting silent and pained whimpers before collapsing at her feet as their blood boiled and exploded in a gory demostration, decorating the tent with a layer of crimson before joining the bodies of two cloaked figures with the only flesh revealing nothing more than dried husks. The few bandits left stared in horrific awe as the Elf woman floated in mid-air before them, surrounded and carried by a baleful mixture of red, purple and black energies, and her recent victims only fed into it. It seemed easy enough for her to pluck one of the strings from her unsightly aura to channel it into any spell she desired.<br/><br/>The fighting however seemed not to only be contained within the tent, with the unholy howling of creatures from outside.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkred">“Sod the Qun-- Koss--- Fuck it! Save yourselves!”</span>The men wasted no time to flee, leaving the Elf with yet two other sacrifices, a tied up, naked female Kossith and a lithe, young looking female human. The power would demand to be spent...<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>The bandits threw themselves in a desperate frenzy against the horde of villagers, a scrabble of fear and fury mixed together to stain the air with death and violence. There was no escaping for either side and Ser Katharine and Knight Captain Jaeron knew all too well.<br/><br/>Knight Captain's Jaeron's gaze faultered briefly as he fought with his back against Alex's Warweld. He had managed to survive this long thanks to her no doubt, but the fear of the torches being handled by -any- bandit was enough of a threat to destroy even a small part of this town. There was no more excuses, he had to move back to the monuments to defend them. His commanding voice was brief, but he didn't expect Alex to follow although the yell elf from afar certainly seemed to have caught her attention. The few Templar beside him however, he knew all too well that they would follow him into the black city itself if he asked for it.<span style="color: orange"> “Retreat back to the torches!” </span>The Templar and Alex soon fell back, between them, they were sure they could hold the majority of the men from the torches... they only could pray that the larger bandits could be taken care of before they were truly overwhelmed.<br/><br/><br/>Ser Katharine's flurry of blows remained graceful and smooth, with each swipe of her blade she managed to deal with a single bandit before feeding her steel into yet more flesh, her shield parrying any incoming blow with surprising ease before claiming her next victim. Even in numbers the woman seemed to stand her ground well, carving a path of slaughter that fed inspiration to the villagers nearby, and casting fear into those who wished to challenge her. Her foes became those of her choosing more than their own as instinctive behaviour kicked in for her prey, some even attempting to crawl through the crowd, risking the chance to be trampled on than to face her straight on. The slim coating of splattered crimson gore seemed to bother Ser Katharine little, her attention seemed more intent on finding those that kept the fragile horde together. It was obvious at sight, to notice the lumbering giants that roamed amongst them, and remained surprised that they weren't buried in arrows by now. If it was for lack of faith on the archers part, hoping not to strike a dear friend or if the archers themselves, she couldn't tell.<br/><br/>Looking around the battlefield once more, she managed to catch glimpses of both Lyle and Aure “Impressive.. they are tough...”<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Lyle's arrow flew with grace at one of the lead bandits that ushered the men forward, villagers that challenged the brute were met with a cleaving swing of the giants broadsword and it mattered little to the murderous figure who despite his victims, ripped through both bandit and villager alike, both howling their final breath as the blade sank into many multiple bodies. Their howls were soon mixed with Argins brute's own as the arrow sank deep into the fleshy arm of the leaders shoulder, rage fueling the intense glare that scouted the battlefield to focus on the man or woman who had the nerve, and it did him good as it settled on a cloaked figure. The torches soon meant nothing to him as anger and revenge soon became his motive, baring down towards his newly chosen victim with a savage and inhuman roar “<span style="color: red">You dead!”<br/>
</span><br/><br/>---<br/><br/>There was barely any chance for the second bandit leader to react to the speed of the dagger Aure threw, no attention could be placed on it whatsoever before it eagerly tore through flesh and sat neatly in the mans shoulder. A pained growl escaped the mans lips, enough for the bandits around him to give pause to look up at the benemoth of a man. If he started running, it would certainly inspire the idea in the other men to do the same. Luckily, it seemed to do little good, the titan of a man exploring the field to notice the Elf who weaved through the crowds directly towards him. His thick hand curled around the blade that remained in his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he tore the blade from its resting place and casting it carelessly to one side.<br/><br/>Gripping the hilt with immense pressure, the lumbering man charged with a heavy bellow that would echo throughout the town centre, roaring in Argin's name whilst beating away any body that seperated him from his elven prey.<br/><br/>Her distraction certainly worked...<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>