The reasoning that Balthazar tried with Slipper, resulted in slight hesitance. Slipper didn't know much about magic, after all, but he knew that Rupturers could leave places through portals. He wanted to leave, and if it required threat of the mage, then so be it. He did not notice the glowing eyes, nor the attunement.
Balthazar felt a flurry of notes while he attuned to the traitor: fear was prime among the rest of them; battle, war, stimulation, the Wildfire drug, panic, human, Quacian, death, and in the back of the notes, quiet and unobtrusive, Balthazar would notice the faintest note of Creepborne.
The portals snapped shut, and the Tree Walker attended to stop the spread of the fire that had gotten on it. It didn't react in any pain, just patience to settle the flame, while its pauldrons dripped with the lifeforce of soldiers.
The blue flames jumped from Balthazar and spread over Slipper. Unlike the Tree Walker, the flames clearly and obviously hurt the traitor. Slipper let go, and his dagger clattered to the floor, and stumbled away from the elbow to his stomach. At first, he sounded surprised with shouts...
...but as the fire spread, Slipper freaked out. It was the only way to describe it as hysteria rose in the burning rogue. He went running, right into one of the benches, fell over and started to claw at his clothes. Slipper tried to throw the flames off him, while his skin gave way and his flesh melted. A sickly scent filled the wood-smoke aroma, a scent fairly familiar in Quacia where pyre executions were common.
It was due to this cultural understanding that the other soldiers looked at their fellow with pity, but not shock. Fire was meant for heretics, and traitors, and so the other Quacians would not fault the foreign captain for such a choice.
Besides, they were a bit busy to spend much time on the philosophy about setting soldiers on fire while in the midst of battle.
Balthazar swung two stone benches and crushed the remaining thin Ferahom between them. It worked just like the first one. Flesh and plant matter both gave way in bone dust and wood splinters, then crumbled to the ground with the cracked stone.
The panther Ferahom, tail and hindlegs still burning away, leapt for one of the nearest soldiers as it approached the altar. It sent the soldier to fall and scramble, and the two ended up near the sacrificed corpse of the woman that Tribunal Vito had left on the altar. The soldier tried to use the corpse as a shield, hurrying to hide underneath the body while the Ferahom's claws struck out and slashed wherever it could.
However, the other soldiers - bolstered by Balthazar's shout and by their numbers - rushed at the Ferahom. They were familiar with such battle, from the previous trials, though it could be argued that the reason many of these soldiers survived was because of their tendency to avoid direct fights whenever possible. The fourteen soldiers figured they probably had good odds against the one, already weakened Ferahom.
Slashed swords, stuck spears, axes, and various weapons all hit on the Ferahom...
...until nothing remained but splinters and bones in a mess of the scratched up body of the already-dead citizen.
Some cheers from the soldiers, quite proud of their minor victory, while they looked over to Balthazar to show him that they had indeed accomplished what he told them to do.
The eastern Citadel wall gave way, in a crash of roots and branches. In the short time from Slipper's combustion and the Ferahom's defeat, the Tree Walker had gotten exasperated. Dust blinded most of what could be seen while large stones came down. The integrity of the citadel's architecture fell apart, the arched ceiling came down in huge chunks. Glass shattered from all the windows left, in one fell swoop of destruction. Gargoyles fell through, along with the decorative spires that had been placed on the citadel's rooftop.
While the fire continued on the Tree Walker, the Tree Walker pulled off the burning bark and threw it into the Citadel. Fire spread, quickly, as one of the blazing wood pieces hit tapestries by the altar. More of the walls and ceiling crumbled apart from the impact. Smoke filled the air, dark and causing a haze through the area.
In the fast and chaotic assault, five of the soldiers fell under the ceiling and stones. Blood pooled around their motionless bodies, which were covered in the rubble. The others scattered, fortunate to avoid the heavier pieces, but still pattered and knocked by the architectural shrapnel.
Joe, the soldier, shouted at Balthazar from across the nave, "Should we retreat, Captain?! I know a way to the basement!"
Balthazar felt a flurry of notes while he attuned to the traitor: fear was prime among the rest of them; battle, war, stimulation, the Wildfire drug, panic, human, Quacian, death, and in the back of the notes, quiet and unobtrusive, Balthazar would notice the faintest note of Creepborne.
The portals snapped shut, and the Tree Walker attended to stop the spread of the fire that had gotten on it. It didn't react in any pain, just patience to settle the flame, while its pauldrons dripped with the lifeforce of soldiers.
The blue flames jumped from Balthazar and spread over Slipper. Unlike the Tree Walker, the flames clearly and obviously hurt the traitor. Slipper let go, and his dagger clattered to the floor, and stumbled away from the elbow to his stomach. At first, he sounded surprised with shouts...
...but as the fire spread, Slipper freaked out. It was the only way to describe it as hysteria rose in the burning rogue. He went running, right into one of the benches, fell over and started to claw at his clothes. Slipper tried to throw the flames off him, while his skin gave way and his flesh melted. A sickly scent filled the wood-smoke aroma, a scent fairly familiar in Quacia where pyre executions were common.
It was due to this cultural understanding that the other soldiers looked at their fellow with pity, but not shock. Fire was meant for heretics, and traitors, and so the other Quacians would not fault the foreign captain for such a choice.
Besides, they were a bit busy to spend much time on the philosophy about setting soldiers on fire while in the midst of battle.
Balthazar swung two stone benches and crushed the remaining thin Ferahom between them. It worked just like the first one. Flesh and plant matter both gave way in bone dust and wood splinters, then crumbled to the ground with the cracked stone.
The panther Ferahom, tail and hindlegs still burning away, leapt for one of the nearest soldiers as it approached the altar. It sent the soldier to fall and scramble, and the two ended up near the sacrificed corpse of the woman that Tribunal Vito had left on the altar. The soldier tried to use the corpse as a shield, hurrying to hide underneath the body while the Ferahom's claws struck out and slashed wherever it could.
However, the other soldiers - bolstered by Balthazar's shout and by their numbers - rushed at the Ferahom. They were familiar with such battle, from the previous trials, though it could be argued that the reason many of these soldiers survived was because of their tendency to avoid direct fights whenever possible. The fourteen soldiers figured they probably had good odds against the one, already weakened Ferahom.
Slashed swords, stuck spears, axes, and various weapons all hit on the Ferahom...
...until nothing remained but splinters and bones in a mess of the scratched up body of the already-dead citizen.
Some cheers from the soldiers, quite proud of their minor victory, while they looked over to Balthazar to show him that they had indeed accomplished what he told them to do.
The eastern Citadel wall gave way, in a crash of roots and branches. In the short time from Slipper's combustion and the Ferahom's defeat, the Tree Walker had gotten exasperated. Dust blinded most of what could be seen while large stones came down. The integrity of the citadel's architecture fell apart, the arched ceiling came down in huge chunks. Glass shattered from all the windows left, in one fell swoop of destruction. Gargoyles fell through, along with the decorative spires that had been placed on the citadel's rooftop.
While the fire continued on the Tree Walker, the Tree Walker pulled off the burning bark and threw it into the Citadel. Fire spread, quickly, as one of the blazing wood pieces hit tapestries by the altar. More of the walls and ceiling crumbled apart from the impact. Smoke filled the air, dark and causing a haze through the area.
In the fast and chaotic assault, five of the soldiers fell under the ceiling and stones. Blood pooled around their motionless bodies, which were covered in the rubble. The others scattered, fortunate to avoid the heavier pieces, but still pattered and knocked by the architectural shrapnel.
Joe, the soldier, shouted at Balthazar from across the nave, "Should we retreat, Captain?! I know a way to the basement!"
