<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/3c/TattooedAxeWarrior.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>  Amelie van Alt (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347305.msg16354709#msg16354709)<br/><strong> Location:</strong> Expedition Camp - Mess Tent, then outside<br/><strong>Warnings:</strong> Violence<br/><strong>Open/Closed:</strong> Open<br/><strong>Direct Interaction Tags:</strong> Kashi, Kael<br/><strong>Mentioned Tags:</strong>  Astra, Freis<br/><strong>Actions Taken:</strong>  Intrigued conversation<br/><hr/><br/>Groaning aloud as she levered herself up off the floor, Amelie permitted herself a moment of wry relief - she had not got around to acquiring either food or drink, and had thus (through pure good fortune rather than any skill) avoided 'decorating' herself with any mess-hall mess.<br/><br/>Shaking her head, she peered around, a frown creasing her brow as she tried to make sense of what was happening... before offering her hand to her nearest still-prone neighbour to offer assistance in regaining their own feet.<br/><br/>"I think that things just got <em>interesting</em>," she noted wryly, using her free hand to unsling her axe from its place on her back.  "Watch out for each other!", she called out, raising her voice to try to carry over the storm, adding her own encouragement to that provided by Freis.  "Those who can fight, protect those who can't!"<br/><br/>Sparing a moment to try to spot Astra - thinking that the peace-making priestess not only seemed to particularly merit protection, but might also be of importance in the aftermath of any fight - the Berserker then turned to stride to the opening by which she had so recently entered the great tent, her course at a tangent to that taken by Freis.  As she moved, she once again brought her left hand up to her right shoulder... but this time she did not probe at the underlying muscles, instead tracing her fingertips over the complex tattoo decorating the uppermost part of her arm.  As she did so, a shimmering golden lattice-work formed around her, outlining the impression of a set of close-fitting armour formed out of a tracery of light.<br/><br/>If nothing else, it quite literally lit her up as a <em>very</em> obvious target for foes, standing out amidst the storm's gloom and the mayhem enveloping the camp.  To cope with the latter, she brushed her left hand across the tattoos around her eyes - producing another shimmer, this time behind her lashes as she granted herself new forms of Sight, to pick out magic and see more clearly through the poor conditions.<br/><br/>Fortunately, it seemed to be the case that foes were neither dropping from the skies nor erupting from the earth - instead, they were making a much more mundane approach from outside the camp's boundaries.  Still, those borders had evidently been breached in at least a couple of places, and strange, huge creatures were starting to be visible among the outer lines of tents.<br/><br/>"Watch each other's back!" she called over her shoulder, before breaking into a run - dashing straight towards the nearest of the intruders.  She waved her beloved axe, <em>Biting Retort</em>, in the air, her uplifted arm (like the rest of her) outlined in that tracery of shimmering light courtesy of the temporary protection granted by her armouring rune.<br/><br/>"Over here!  If you want a fight, I volunteer!" she yelled, to try to ensure she secured the attention of the the nearest intruders.  It worked, at least for the two towards whom she was directly running.  En route, she attempted to read their attitudes and demeanour, watching for signs that they might want to parley or at least adopt a defensive stance in response to her rush... but instead, they seemed at least as keen on getting to grips as might be expected of any berserker.<br/><br/>Making a display out of her apparently-heedless charge, she instead timed her approach with care, dropping and rolling under her first opponent's welcoming swing, to rise up and strike at his startled companion behind.  With momentum and strength as well as skill guiding her axe, it hit hard - and its enchanted durability ensured that Amelie had no qualms about smashing through either defences or bone.  A follow-up strike put her target down, before she ducked, rolled, and spun around to come up facing her remaining target as he tried to reorient his attentions to her.<br/><br/>This time, she launched a direct assault rather than opting for evasion, battering the huge, hairy intruder with a succession of overhand blows.  She took one significant counter-strike that glanced off the magic wrapped around her, before she delivered a decisive uppercut with <em>Biting Retort</em>.  Immediately after wrenching her now-gory axehead free, she sank to one knee, exhaling long and low as she allowed the glimmering lattice of armouring light to fade from view.  With the magical drain on her reserves of stamina now reduced to the trickle required to assist her vision, she dragged in great lungfulls of air, peering around in search of new threats.<br/></div>