In his brief questioning of the man on the way back to the Spire, Dharen had attained more information regarding Held’s abilities. The Boon that he used to imbue his arrows was known as Turmoil. It wreaked havoc on an enemy’s mental capabilities, sending them into a rage that caused them to attack the nearest enemies that they saw. And in that state, everybody was an enemy. As the name suggested, it allowed Held to create turmoil in the ranks of the enemy; it could turn one’s closest ally into one’s potential doom.

However, as with all attacks of its nature, the ability could be resisted by those with high enough defense against mental attacks. Yet, though such defenses surely existed, it was unlikely that a purely passive defense would fully prevent Held’s Turmoil.

And so, Held’s arrow flew. It pierced the side of a warrior as they held their ranks against the assaulted Ilcrest. Pandemonium struck. Turmoil from within the ranks.

The man turned against his allies. Untroubled by the encroaching beasts, he brought his sword to bear against the warrior standing beside him. With a guttural noise, he slashed and cut at the man furiously, eliciting cries of surprise and horror from his allies.

The assaulted warrior backpedaled in his astonishment, breaking the ranks. Held’s victim followed him, creating an even greater disruption to the formerly well-defended line.

The Ilcrests pounced on the given opportunity, swarming through the gap quickly and separating the heavily-armored woman from her allies.

She swung in wide circles with her greatsword, forcing the surrounding Ilcrest to shy away slightly. Still, she could not hold them back entirely. From their vantage point, the Vezian Alliance warriors watched as one monster after another pounced upon her, hiding her from sight.

The knife-juggler and quarterstaff wielder had been fighting side by side; now, they were encircled together by a group of Ilcrest. The monsters eyed the warriors warily, having learned from painful experience that they were not to be taken lightly.

Having grown impatient, a single Ilcrest shrieked and charged. With a flash of motion, a knife embedded itself within the monster’s chest, sending it lurching backwards. With his last throwing knife spent, the leather-clad man held his daggers at the ready.

From within the pile of Ilcrest that had consumed the armored warrior, a sound appeared. Slowly, Dharen was able to pick out the muffled sound of shouting that emanated from the mass of bodies. The woman suddenly burst forth, arms thrown wide. Ilcrest were sent flying, launched by the overwhelming force.

Seeing their cue that the Ilcrest would need more assistance, the Vezian warriors began to sneak closer to the fight. They moved towards the two dueling warriors, as the Turmoil-stricken man swung his blade with a blind fury, heedless of the arrow that continued to be latched into his side. His former ally merely defended; though his fury-bound friend had presented many openings, it was difficult to strike down your own. Unfortunately for him, his mentally addled companion held no such convictions.

As they grew closer to the struggling warriors, Beran closed enough distance to activate Somnolence. Dharen had learned that it was similar in functionality to Held’s Turmoil, aside from a few specific differences. Rather than imbuing an object, Beran directly sent a bolt formed of Spirit to affect his victim. However, this meant that he had a significantly lower range than his brother did. Just as with Held’s ability, its effect could be resisted with great enough mental defenses.

Despite that, the struggling warrior was caught by surprise and frantic due to the assault from his former ally. The bolt struck him squarely, sinking deeply and enervating his muscles. Its power grasped him fully, and he dropped to the floor. Seizing the moment, Held’s thrall struck. He stabbed downwards with his blade, impaling the man while he remained helplessly asleep. Filled with rage, he stabbed again and again as blood filled the air, leaving the man with more holes than not.

His artificial rage subsided, the man finally regained a semblance of cognizance. With horror filling his eyes, he gazed at his former ally - his companion, dead by his own hand. He looked downwards, eyes locked onto the blood that stained him so deeply. Finally, he looked up once more. Revulsion was pasted across his face, a sense of self-hate so deep that it appeared bottomless.

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And that sensation was his last, as Anand - the most sure-footed in the mix of blood and much that heavily coated the jungle soil - reached the horrified warrior. With a deft thrust of his blade, he ended the man’s life.

With three down, they continued on. With a series of silent gestures, they indicated their aim to ambush the knife-juggler and the quarterstaff wielder. Though it would have been nice to take out the lone warrior woman, she was currently being desperately assaulted by Ilcrest and would be difficult to reach. In addition, the strength and ability she was currently displaying was likely boosted by a Boon, meaning that she would use up more Spirit and potentially grow weaker as she fought. With that in mind, Dharen activated Challenge, empowering one of the Ilcrest that assaulted her. Immediately afterwards, he used Warcry - increasing the attributes of himself and his allies, while reducing those of his enemies.

They approached the two warriors. As they did so, Dharen was careful to create some distance between himself and Riell, as he knew that he might have some difficulty if he was caught within range of her Field of Uncertainty.

Indeed, even now he could see the troubles it began to cause for Ethan - the other poor sap with the minimum amount of Luck. Ethan disappeared abruptly, before appearing once more in the midst of the crowded Ilcrest.

Dharen winced at the sight, but he knew from experience that the man could take an inconceivable amount of punishment and come out okay. And punishment it was; the Ilcrest surrounding him clawed and scraped at him with fervor. Even with his absorption, he quickly became a ragged mess of blood and sinew, screaming and wild. Yet, Dharen did not allow himself to worry for his ally. If the man was in danger, he would just strike a nearby enemy and restore himself.

Besides, Dharen had other things to be concerned about currently. He circled around his mental estimation of Riell’s field. That was more difficult than it sounded, with the erratic way that she teleported mid-combat. However, he was able to do so relatively unscathed. Just once did he enter her Field; he found himself immediately in front of a raging Ilcrest. Fortunately, that wasn’t a problem that a quick blow to the skull couldn’t fix. He swung.

The creature jumped high into the air, dodging his attack. He recovered quickly, bringing Restraint back and stabbing forward with its tip like a spear. The Ilcrest fell onto the waiting spike, impaling itself deeply. Blood spilled downwards, coating the hammer in a sheen of crimson.

He swung the hammer crossways, sending the body flying towards the massed enemies.

The gathered Ilcrest were bowled over by the force of their deceased companion’s flight, clearing the space around Ethan. With his way cleared, the man limped his way towards the warrior with the daggers. He appeared to be a creature out of some horrible story; his skin hung from his body in tatters, dripping crimson red. The bones of his left arm were displayed prominently, the white of matter standing in stark contrast to the grime and gore that otherwise coated him. Still, he ambled on, growing ever closer to his target.

Seeing Ethan’s approach, and eager to finish a man so close to death, the man met him halfway. He suddenly increased his speed drastically, the result of a Boon, no doubt. His form became a blur, nearly untraceable even to Dharen’s eyes. Ethan had no time to react. The man’s daggers found their targets, slotting themselves deeply. Ethan let out a sharp grunt in response, even greater amounts of blood spilling from his lips. He smiled, teeth a crimson red.

Dharen knew that Ethan truly had no time nor ability to protect himself from the man’s speed. Then again, he didn’t have to. All he had to do was wait.

Now, with his opponent’s daggers lodged in his sides, was what he had been waiting for. A moment of stillness. He grabbed the man’s shoulder with his still-functioning right hand, holding him in place as his opponent pulled the daggers back out of his body. Then, he kicked.

He connected with his opponent’s leg, the damage that he had managed to accumulate now a blasting force that mangled the man’s limb beyond repair. The man crumpled to the dirt, balance lost. Ethan, now fully restored, fell upon him. He tore the daggers from his pain-stricken fingers, bringing them to bear against their wielder.

Dharen turned away, having no need to see the result of the battle. He watched as Riell battled the quarterstaff-wielder. That, too, was soon to be over. Try as he might, the man could not compete against Riell’s unpredictability - blows that seemed sure came to naught as he found himself teleported to a new location, his practiced defenses disappeared as she blinked in and out of existence.

He hefted his warhammer as he approached the Ilcrest that assaulted the armored warrior. As he went, he sent the distracted monsters crumpling to their deaths, one after another. Between the deadly sweeps of the woman’s blade and his own efforts, the number of Ilcrest between them soon thinned considerably. Unfortunately, his pre-Challenged monster had been defeated at the woman’s hands, likely due to her perception of its increased threat. He had hoped to take advantage of the increase in Strength, but it was not to be.

Regardless, he had confidence in his own ability. Striking down the final Ilcrest that stood between them, he charged.