"Oho!" cheered out the Marquess, slinging his arms around the pair of princesses on the ground, sparing Ephraim this treatment. "I can't say I'm not singin' your praises here, pipsqueak! That was a pretty bold move, but it served you well," Hector added, pulling back after a moment. "Who would've thought that you had it in you?"
Veronica's eyes shifted to the floor, the muffled grief of the Múspellheim tactician echoing in the background. However, her turned back only allowed for an opening, allowing Loki to raise her staff high and land a hit on the rear surface of her armor, doing damage to her armor and cape. It was an all too familiar sensation, hitting her chest against the floor and having the air ejected from her lungs, alongside a small spattering of blood. She looked back at the woman as she attempted to move, but found an invisible pressure prevented her from doing so. It made her chest feel constricted, as though a weight had been placed on her back and pressed down harder with each passing moment. She winced at the sensation, unable to voice her pain. It seemed that the allies she had made would not allow her to needlessly suffer.
Loki kept Thökk in hand for only a moment, only to be met with animosity by the men in armor. "What did you do to her?" challenged the young king, angling his axe in a manner that threatened to swing with full force, despite the aching in his shoulder from the injury only moments prior. He owed a favor now, and if it meant fending off the Múspellheim woman. When his question was met with only malintented laughter, he felt his teeth grit. It reminded him all too much of his days in Magvel, fighting Fomortiis after he had seized the very soul of his dear friend, Lyon. It made him feel a sense of irritation that he had long pushed down, encouraging the raising of Garm, which his nerve allowed him to swing outward without hesitation, tearing away some of the corset form on her abdomen. Had he been equipped with his lance, he had no doubts in his mind that her chest plate would have been violently ripped away from her form. He wouldn't kill her, it was senseless and out of line, but when his friends were in danger, they deserved none of his mercy, nor did they earn his pity.
"Aah!" Loki hissed in retort, shifting slightly to the side as the dark segment of her bodice tore away, leaving the golden garment and skirt intact. "You will pay for the grief you have caused!" Despite the injury to her torso, she stepped forward, the purple hue of her magic still flaring.
Hector took Maltet in tow, thrusting it forth to catch the side that Ephraim had not covered, severing more of the bodice and plunging the head of the spear of ice into her side. He tore it free with equal vigor, narrowing his eyes as he took in the savage delights of combat. He may not have had it out for her, but it was of utmost necessity to take care of this problem. "Hwuh!" he grunted out, the air ascending from his lungs and escaping through his teeth, even as Loki attempted to land another blow upon his armor. "Then pay!"
"How could I ever be satisfied without you groveling at my feet?" she spat in retort, taking a swing with her staff. "How could you expect me to keel over and surrender?!" Loki's words were raw, visceral, as though she had been gutted upon the battlefield, and yet all the same, she seemed blissfully unaware of the secret that had begun to unravel.
It was only then that the connection registered in Veronica's mind.
"You... You..!" she choked out, only to be freed from her otherworldly binds as the tactician focused her power on the King of Renais. Veronica knew that voice, a voice that she hadn't been able to identify when she had first spoken in a state of weakness, but here, her animosity bore her true colors. Those deep eyes, her choice in words. Why did it have to be here and now, when she had finally been certain that her escape was final? Why did that wretched woman have to find the imperial princess in her clutches once more?
Ephraim paused his assault as he heard these words, as though they were a familiarity to the princess, leaving him open for another blow of Thökk. "Agh!" He wouldn't allow this to be his end, but by the time he had turned around, Loki was already gone, leaving him with his new injury to show for this strike. As his gaze shifted back to his comrades, he realized quickly that Hector and Celica had already made it a mission amongst themselves to rally the stragglers... or at least that was what he would have proposed, as opposed to running off and continuing on with their mission. One could make that assumption, the audible thumping of boots that he could only assume meant that they'd rushed ahead to follow after their powerful foe.
Veronica attempted to get up, Hliðskjálf being used as a makeshift cane to maintain her balance. This did very little, but at the least, the king was there to offer her his arm. She hesitated for a moment, as if questioning if he wished to be healed or to serve her as an aide. Instead of taking control, she allowed him to guide her hand to his arm, the chill of the metal able to be felt despite her gloves. If this kept up, it was going to be a long path home.
