The plan of attack was brutally simplistic in nature. There would be a spearhead of the most powerful individuals of the expedition roughly a few hundred meters ahead of the main force, this way speed would be the highest as the cream of the crop can effectively move on the main objective while their rear is covered. It was just a damn shame Esstrey was assigned to be part of this group, but it was nothing unpredictable. The others part of this group was Belluzoar and the Hero's party, and it doesn't exactly take a genius to guess who's responsible for these changes as Esstrey can feel the gaze of a war god pierce her from behind while the Hero's party occasionally looks behind them with paranoia. Not that she can blame them, she's made a lot of enemies in such a short timespan.

Just when Esstrey thought things couldn't get worse, a massive shadow flies overhead. She looks behind herself to see the avatar smile in victory, while she senses the nerves of the adventurers relaxing, they must have been talking behind her back, how rude. The shadow gives form to a large dragon as it lands on a nearby boulder, looking down on those present in disdain. The large red dragon bears plenty of scars, and is clearly accustomed to war, considering his gaze lingers on Belluzoar for a little while longer than the others.

"Belluzoar, Asahi. It is good to see the both of you in good health, you called me for a surprisingly small matter of some demon enacting some vile ritual. It is unlike you both to ask for aid, let alone for something as minor as this." His voice is deep and regal, giving a sense of standing before a high-ranking noble with the typical snobbishness that comes from those born into power. It isn't surprising Belluzoar knows him, but if Asahi knows him, it means that the 'Hero' has been very busy for quite a while.

"Normally yes Asher, but we would like you to keep an eye on a cousin of yours." Belluzoar points at Esstrey, implying he heard the rumors that Esstrey is dragon-blooded. Asher looks at Esstrey for a while in clear confusion, completely bedazzled by what he's seeing.

"That... that thing is no cousin of mine." As the words leave Asher's mouth, Esstrey tries to reach for her weapons, but is already too late. An adamantine blade goes straight through her midriff, and she is tossed aside.

"Knew there was something wrong with her, it was better to keep her close in case she tried something with the army. Well, that's that done, let's keep moving." Belluzoar's words confuse Asher slightly, but the Hero's party stays in a combat position facing Esstrey.

"She isn't dead yet lad." Tolbert is proven right as Esstrey climbs back to a standing position, her wound doesn't close, but it isn't bleeding either. The wound does begin to close as she drinks a position, and tosses it to the side.

"I was hoping to last a little longer than that, but I suppose sometimes things just go wrong. Honestly, I'm still surprised you needed another opinion before deciding to deal with me, what kind of pathetic excuse of a god are you?" Esstrey looks specifically at Belluzoar as she says it, not with the look someone has for an enemy, but the look someone would usually reserve for a turd with legs.

"What manner of vile creature are you?" Belluzoar's hostility towards Esstrey grows to the point Asher also takes a combat stance, but no one attacks yet.

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"Look who's talking asshole, I'm just one of many consequences of your actions." Belluzoar then notices the blood on his blade beginning to move off his blade, confirming his growing suspicions, while also growing increasingly agitated.

"A blood mage? I didn't know non-vampires could be blood mages, you must have led a very sinful life." Blood magic derives a lot of its power from other people and sacrificial rituals, after all.

"You seem so confident in judging me, yet your sins outnumber my own. How many have you killed, you aberrant elemental?" There is some real hatred in Esstrey's voice now.

"I will not be insulted like this! I am a God!" Belluzoar grips his swords tighter, preparing to attack.

"You are no god, you are a pathetic little creature helplessly dependent on the beliefs of others to survive. You ain't a fucking concept, you are just another thing born from mana, just another common beast that somehow escaped its cage using the very blood magic you seem to despise, did you kill the one who let you out of the cage too?" Esstrey's words strike a nerve, and hard.

Belluzoar activates one of his signature abilities, the flames of wrath. Wrapping himself in flames, he charges at the smirking mermaid, but suddenly the heat escalates rapidly and doesn't stop. Belluzoar doesn't just burst into flames, he melts under it as a white-hot light comes from him. He tries to protect himself from... something destroying him, but it seems to come from within his armor. The powerful armor that used to protect him now serves as his doom, since it is now protecting the fire within him from his own attempts to stop it.

Soon enough, the avatar of Belluzoar is now slagged, a still smoking half-molten golem laying at the mermaid's tail. A mermaid who can't hold in her laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! IT ACTUALLY WORKED! I HOPE YOU LIKED YOUR GAMBESON!" Her laughter only makes everyone witnessing the event in shock, there are very few who understand what she did, while she went and made herself noticeable in the camp she had Cathy fill Belluzoar's gambeson with thermite. A surprise Esstrey has been cooking up for a long time now, and one that would trigger as long as the avatar activated its flames of wrath. Magic is a fundamentally conceptual force, something called the flames of wrath is doubtlessly triggered when the god would grow furious.

Asher, however, isn't very amused. The dragon looks at the mermaid rather miffed at being ignored, it would admit the gods are strong, but Belluzoar was bullheaded, and his avatar limits him.

"Are you done laughing? Then it is time to crush you for colluding with otherworldly forces." The dragon exhales, letting out a puff of smoke.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Sir Asher? Do you think that if I had something that funny prepared for the avatar, I wouldn't be prepared for a mighty dragon?" For a moment, Esstrey sees something in the dragon's beady eyes, a hint of doubt.

"Nonsense, nothing you have could harm me." Esstrey pays close attention to the dragon's wording, and notices an opportunity.

"No... probably not, say how is your kin nowadays? Have they been sleeping well? I sure hope nothing bad happens to them..." There too, Esstrey's words strike a chord.

"You stay away from the little ones!" Asher's fury becomes palpable, and he's tensing up to destroy this arrogant jumped up fish now.

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that, if you hurry back you might be in time to save them, who knows?" Esstrey takes a defensive combat position, making it clear that the dragon has to choose between destroying her now or increasing the odds of saving his children.

"I'll be back for you, mage, and I'll make your death painful." Asher takes off, leaving the combat zone has he fails to call Esstrey's bluff. She didn't know shit about draconic intervention, but they are as arrogant and paranoid as the books sarge had read to her said they were.

She then looks at the Hero's party, who stared at the entire scene slack jawed.

"Two down." Esstrey spreads her arms wide, and shows her palms as if to say 'come at me'.