R U [ I ] N E D

Double Dog Dare Ya

Being stuck between a rock and a hard place— between a trio of bloodthirsty wolves and maniacal dark magic users— was not how any of the Runeholders wanted to be spending their morning. Neither option was appealing, but at least the wolves weren't likely to murder them straight out. That would ruin their payday, which was the most important to them. The Paraven sorcerers, on the other hand, would undoubtedly go for the kill without a second thought or an inkling of remorse.

"How long do we have, do you think?" Erzia asked the sorceress in their company.

"Quarter of an hour, at most. More than likely less."

Even from just a glance, Erzia could could tell the Sol's skin was glistening with sweat. The sorceress of La Cierna must've been particularly susceptible to shifts in the world's magical energy flow. Users of specific elemental types seemed to have a stronger link to it, and earth magic (like Soleil's) was one of them. Not only that, but there were also elements that strongly rejected dark magic. In essence, it didn't make it impossible to practice it for those that chose to learn those elements; rather, it heightened the sensitivity to dark magic for those that strictly adhered to magics considered "good."

And yet again, earth was such an element, less compatible with the harshness of those darker incantations. Soleil was like sunshine personified; she didn't have it in her to be anything but kind and gracious, so of course Paraven's magic was dragging her down like a leaden weight. Erzia wouldn't have been surprised if she fainted from the stress and the toll it was taking on her body.

"Try to divert the energy if you can. If you can focus on filtering it out, it might help," she said quickly, but her eyes never left the wolves, who had started to circle them. The telepath scowled, clenching her fists. The beasts were just playing with them— their prey— dragging out the inevitable fight.

The Runeholders weren't going to go down quietly.

Not to them. Not to Paraven. Not to the dark sorceress Elieveta either.

They would take a stand and resist until the last drop of willpower, of determination, was left on the battlefield.

"Are you afraid of a bunch of children? A grown man and his buddies hesitating in front of us? What a joke." Erzia scoffed. She was goading the shifters into making a move, and to her relief, it was working. She honed in on the leaders thoughts, a manic smirk crossing her lips.

Shut up, or I'll shut you up myself. I'll rip your fucking vocal chords out, you little—

Erzia laughed at that, leaving his mind with a shake of her head. "Do it. I dare you."

Finally, it was enough to set him over the edge. He lunged at the group, and the fight was on. The other two wolves flanked him, and Erzia hoped the others were ready, The last time they'd faced animosity, the Runeholder of Skill had been the one who'd come to the rescue. Admittedly, it hadn't been much of a standoff. Erzia had been able to subdue the attackers with a few flying arrows and well-placed threats. This wouldn't— and couldn't— be solved as peaceably as before. In a close combat situation like this, Erzia wouldn't be able to rely on her bow either, so it stayed stowed on her person. She'd have to resort to telepathic tactics instead. The others would be able to see just what the rune of Skill meant, gifted to a telepath with the initiative to push its power to its limits.

The group had taken a formation of sorts, triangular in shape with Erzia at the head of it. Callan stood at one point, Phoena at the other, with Brady barely managing to hold Sol up as she leaned on him like dead weight in the middle of it all. As the wolves darted in, Cal shoved Sachi towards Sol, who just managed to catch him and pull the boy in close. Sachi started to wriggle and struggle, but Cal's sharp insistence against it stilled him.