This would mark another trial that Maxine lived up to the insults recently hurled her way. Only this time it wouldn't come from the lips of her friends. "Traitor" would be uttered from the mouths and rest in the thoughts of the Mantis members she slew in turn. As soon as the murdered runner slipped from her sword, her opaque gaze found the back of her next target. That calculated mind slipped away as something darker took its place within the woman. She blazed through the back of the Mantis ranks in that small hallway like wildfire.
Max grabbed a woman by the back of the head, fingers laced in her auburn hair. She raced the edge of the gladius across the woman's throat before tossing her aside, the tip of her blade punching next through the middle of the man who had been standing beside her last victim. A front-kick to the wounded man's back shoved him off the length of her weapon, and into the man holding the line in front of him. The break in their front line tipped the Ashcloaks off that something was amiss. Hooded heads began to turn, spotting their sister absent a wounded enemy but sporting a bloodied sword. Anger filled their wide eyes, and for the tacticians among their shrinking party, a real problem had emerged. They were fighting a battle on two fronts, and a Becomer was tearing their cohesion to bits. They desperately needed the back-up that wasn't on the way.
Don't lose focus. Don't let any by.
Keeping their numbers from growing was Maxine's current goal. She had to keep the ranks from properly forming against Sephira and Qit, but more importantly, she had to keep the odds from swinging too wildly out of their favor. They were outnumbered as it was. Ashcloaks were beginning to divide themselves to handle each intruder. A circle of enemies began to converge upon Max. Their attacks upon her became quicker, turning one-after-another as the trills ticked by. Yards away she could hear her friends fighting. She parried a sword swing past her and cracked a fist into the man's throat, immediately transitioning her body in time to pivot away from a shield bash. Her gladius slipped over the barrier, slipping deep into the shieldbearer's clavicle.
Thorough finishes were becoming harder to dish out, and pretty soon, Max was desperately avoiding hits more than she was giving them out. The circle was closing. She was running out of space, and the number of weapons bared against her were only growing as more identified her as a threat. Between her desperate blocks and sweeps, she spotted Sephira being gradually pushed back in her own fight. The gladius cut the air quicker with more power. A massive bear stormed through a group of Mantis members, and a short while later, Qit'ria came running by to hurl a door shut in the nick of time. It slammed closed with snaps and shrieks to accompany broken bones. Magic might've been hindered within these walls, but Chrien's spite wasn't. Maxine had plenty of spite to expend.
Right as it seemed she had no room left to move, dark, rolling clouds expanded from Maxine to fill the hallway. They reached the walls and climbed upwards with a booming thunder. Half of the Mantis ranks, especially those surrounding her, were caught in the fog. The sound of fighting intensified. By the time the fog moved on thanks to the opening of a door, Maxine was standing in the center of a circle of dropped bodies. Her chest heaved and her muscles ached with exhaustion. Blood caked her ashcloak, dripping down her face and splattered across her raven hair. She swallowed hard, eyes wide as she stumbled out of the tangle. Tears marred her cloak, but the armor beneath protected her from serious injuries.
Her eyes found Qit'ria first. She watched as the naked woman drew a javelin and let rip an ear-splitting roar. Down the hall she could see the numbers swelled against the Becomer. Max tightened her grip on the blood-slick hilt of her weapon and darted toward her friend's flank. Her feet pounded against the floor as adrenaline continued to flood her veins, feeding her muscles for the task she desperately willed them capable of seeing through. Qit was surrounded in every sense of the word, and though she was far from defenseless, Max was determined to cut her free before a single enemy marked her friend's skin. Orbs flew up and she heard the Becomer call to her over the chaos.
At first the marked woman disregarded Qit'ria's calls. She would not stand down. She would not leave her friend to fight that swell alone. Then she saw the Mantis closest to the dispatched orbs stumble and Max understood. She stopped dead in her tracks and watched for a trill as bodies began to drop, the Becomer remaining unscathed. She searched for the other mage. When she found her, it wasn't on Sephira that her gaze lingered. It as just beyond. What she saw made Max freeze and the world slow. The mask she wore in this battle cracked. Then she was running. Sprinting to cross the relatively short distance. She just had barely passed Sephira when her hand caught a shoulder and she drove her sword into an ashcloak's chest.
"You?" the hooded Mantis gasped with confusion and agony. "Max?" The dagger he'd been prepared to wield on his target slipped from his fingers. His knees immediately weakened and Maxine followed him gently down to the ground. She eased his descent, not because this was just any ashcloak.
"You weren't supposed to be here, Brett," Max murmured softly, apologetically as she held him. Her mind raced. She'd locked him up, locked him away so he'd be spared their assault. How had this happened? Her eyes watched blood pool up from where her sword pierced past his ribs. He seemed to choke for a couple trills while his eyes shifted, realization striking him now. She had never been with the Mantis. Not really. She'd always been with them. Max swallowed hard, hardened her core, and gave her sword a violent twist. The man who teased her with innuendos and shared her bed some nights was gone. Just like that. She lowered him, plucked her gladius free of her sin, and came to a stand.
"Here," with distant eyes she held the keys she'd swiped from Brett earlier out toward Sephira. Her voice was monotone and yet tense. "We get her and go now. Quickly." She nodded toward a door adjacent to Qit'ria where she began to square toward a man wearing a bandanna at the dead end. The door was slightly ajar as though someone had already opened it. It was at that point Max became aware Finn was no where to be found. She looked between the remaining Mantis member in the hall and the Becomer, shaking her head. "This is her fight. Trust me."
Max grabbed a woman by the back of the head, fingers laced in her auburn hair. She raced the edge of the gladius across the woman's throat before tossing her aside, the tip of her blade punching next through the middle of the man who had been standing beside her last victim. A front-kick to the wounded man's back shoved him off the length of her weapon, and into the man holding the line in front of him. The break in their front line tipped the Ashcloaks off that something was amiss. Hooded heads began to turn, spotting their sister absent a wounded enemy but sporting a bloodied sword. Anger filled their wide eyes, and for the tacticians among their shrinking party, a real problem had emerged. They were fighting a battle on two fronts, and a Becomer was tearing their cohesion to bits. They desperately needed the back-up that wasn't on the way.
Don't lose focus. Don't let any by.
Keeping their numbers from growing was Maxine's current goal. She had to keep the ranks from properly forming against Sephira and Qit, but more importantly, she had to keep the odds from swinging too wildly out of their favor. They were outnumbered as it was. Ashcloaks were beginning to divide themselves to handle each intruder. A circle of enemies began to converge upon Max. Their attacks upon her became quicker, turning one-after-another as the trills ticked by. Yards away she could hear her friends fighting. She parried a sword swing past her and cracked a fist into the man's throat, immediately transitioning her body in time to pivot away from a shield bash. Her gladius slipped over the barrier, slipping deep into the shieldbearer's clavicle.
Thorough finishes were becoming harder to dish out, and pretty soon, Max was desperately avoiding hits more than she was giving them out. The circle was closing. She was running out of space, and the number of weapons bared against her were only growing as more identified her as a threat. Between her desperate blocks and sweeps, she spotted Sephira being gradually pushed back in her own fight. The gladius cut the air quicker with more power. A massive bear stormed through a group of Mantis members, and a short while later, Qit'ria came running by to hurl a door shut in the nick of time. It slammed closed with snaps and shrieks to accompany broken bones. Magic might've been hindered within these walls, but Chrien's spite wasn't. Maxine had plenty of spite to expend.
Right as it seemed she had no room left to move, dark, rolling clouds expanded from Maxine to fill the hallway. They reached the walls and climbed upwards with a booming thunder. Half of the Mantis ranks, especially those surrounding her, were caught in the fog. The sound of fighting intensified. By the time the fog moved on thanks to the opening of a door, Maxine was standing in the center of a circle of dropped bodies. Her chest heaved and her muscles ached with exhaustion. Blood caked her ashcloak, dripping down her face and splattered across her raven hair. She swallowed hard, eyes wide as she stumbled out of the tangle. Tears marred her cloak, but the armor beneath protected her from serious injuries.
Her eyes found Qit'ria first. She watched as the naked woman drew a javelin and let rip an ear-splitting roar. Down the hall she could see the numbers swelled against the Becomer. Max tightened her grip on the blood-slick hilt of her weapon and darted toward her friend's flank. Her feet pounded against the floor as adrenaline continued to flood her veins, feeding her muscles for the task she desperately willed them capable of seeing through. Qit was surrounded in every sense of the word, and though she was far from defenseless, Max was determined to cut her free before a single enemy marked her friend's skin. Orbs flew up and she heard the Becomer call to her over the chaos.
At first the marked woman disregarded Qit'ria's calls. She would not stand down. She would not leave her friend to fight that swell alone. Then she saw the Mantis closest to the dispatched orbs stumble and Max understood. She stopped dead in her tracks and watched for a trill as bodies began to drop, the Becomer remaining unscathed. She searched for the other mage. When she found her, it wasn't on Sephira that her gaze lingered. It as just beyond. What she saw made Max freeze and the world slow. The mask she wore in this battle cracked. Then she was running. Sprinting to cross the relatively short distance. She just had barely passed Sephira when her hand caught a shoulder and she drove her sword into an ashcloak's chest.
"You?" the hooded Mantis gasped with confusion and agony. "Max?" The dagger he'd been prepared to wield on his target slipped from his fingers. His knees immediately weakened and Maxine followed him gently down to the ground. She eased his descent, not because this was just any ashcloak.
"You weren't supposed to be here, Brett," Max murmured softly, apologetically as she held him. Her mind raced. She'd locked him up, locked him away so he'd be spared their assault. How had this happened? Her eyes watched blood pool up from where her sword pierced past his ribs. He seemed to choke for a couple trills while his eyes shifted, realization striking him now. She had never been with the Mantis. Not really. She'd always been with them. Max swallowed hard, hardened her core, and gave her sword a violent twist. The man who teased her with innuendos and shared her bed some nights was gone. Just like that. She lowered him, plucked her gladius free of her sin, and came to a stand.
"Here," with distant eyes she held the keys she'd swiped from Brett earlier out toward Sephira. Her voice was monotone and yet tense. "We get her and go now. Quickly." She nodded toward a door adjacent to Qit'ria where she began to square toward a man wearing a bandanna at the dead end. The door was slightly ajar as though someone had already opened it. It was at that point Max became aware Finn was no where to be found. She looked between the remaining Mantis member in the hall and the Becomer, shaking her head. "This is her fight. Trust me."
Dialogue|Thoughts
