R U [ I ] N E D

Curses? Nope. Toxins and Water Torture!

They were all good as dead. If he stayed... if he left... Why couldn't Sachi see that Callan was just trying to protect him? He was his big brother; it was his job to keep the kid safe, not the other way around. But yet again, Sachi was dead set on bearing far too much responsibility for a child his age.

Yet again, he wanted to place himself between his older brother and danger.

Large tears rolled down Callan's face as Sachi ripped himself out of his grasp. "Please, don't," he begged, but his whole body screamed in pain and protest as he tried to stand up and stop him.

He was helpless, and he knew it.

He was useless, bawling his eyes out as Sachi's body gave way to the massive shaggy beast.

Sachi let out a roar, standing defensively— defiantly— in front of Cal.

The woman in charge sneered, a hint of mania creeping gleefully into her eyes and that dreadful grin. "It almost seems a shame to kill a Manabe that hasn't grown into its own..." But that wasn't going to stop her or the rest of the clan.

It all happen in a fraction of a second, but to Callan, it all seemed sluggish, like they were insects trapped in a pool of amber. But just like a fly trapped in a web, futile as those effort might be, survival didn't come to those who didn't seek it desperately. There wasn't honor in falling in battle— a mantra of their nation— and sheer willpower couldn't save them. Still, a shot in the dark was better than giving up. Who else would fight for their own lives but them?

At the very least, they'd drag a few of Elieveta's followers to the afterlife along with them.

Their leader and her right hand man set their sights on Sachi, leaving four to handle the rest of them. One of the sorcerers hung back, raising an arc of fore around them so that if they wanted to flee, there was only one option: they'd have to get through Paraven first.

The sorceress who'd gone after Erzia and Phoena propelled icy shards at the pair, Phoena doing her best to fend them off and shatter them with her sword. She was nimble and quick, fortunately for the telepath at her side, who was using what minute power she could muster to bind the sorcerer going after Brady and Soleil. There was only so much spellwork that the Paraven assassin could do with her movements restricted like that, after all. But the ice witch was growing angrier, her movements becoming more unpredictable. The chaos made it harder for Phoe to predict and harder, in turn, for her to keep Erzia protected. Erzia yelped as a sliver of ice struck her arm, distracting her from holding back the other sorceress, who came charging at their companions.

Soleil was steadier on her feet, though she wasn't entirely recovered from the overwhelming dark magic. She'd managed to accept the corrupted magic just enough to manage it. Better than she had been before, at least. She still felt ill, but she wasn't about to double over in pain. Sol was confident that she could fight back with some magic of her own. The question was: what was she up against?

Another air witch, like the one in charge, but younger, less experienced. Sol could tell from that first attack that this man wasn't quite on par with the sorceress who'd sent Callan and Sachi flying. His powers didn't have the same force. Sol rose a barricade from the earth, dragging Brady behind it alongside her. She pressed her back against it, leaning her head back to think as wind whipped past them. "Brady!" She grabbed him by his forearms and and stared intently at him. "Can you focus in on his thoughts?"

If he could give her just a brief insight into what the man was thinking before his attacks, Sol could use that to her advantage.

Brady took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as he nodded. "I can try."