Neolani cast lightning at the half woman, half bird creatures. She'd heard of sirens, she just didn't expect them to be so… horrendous looking. They looked like owls with woman necks and heads. Their idea of a song was little better than a screech.
Neolani took the split second to cast three lightning arrows as the sirens dove at her again. She managed to strike the smaller one's wing, but it quickly recovered. She didn't have time for a follow up, dodging out of the way of the merman's spear. The female had a trident.
The mermen were too fast for her warriors to be of any real assistance. They were practically a blur as they moved around the battle field. No doubt Ashton's domain of fire had slowed them down, otherwise there was no way she'd be able to keep up with two lord class beasts. Even with the land advantage.
Lucian used his shoulder to crash into the merman. Immediately following up with a sword thrust into its ribs. It leapt back avoiding Lucian's sword.. Lucian snarled as the merman's breast plate cracked, then broke from the impact. The fire wasn't just augmenting the spells. His senses were heightened. Not to mention his strength. If he were a mage, he half wondered if his mana would also be augmented.
Neolani took a moment to look Lucian over. His eyes had gone reptilian; his voice had been more beastial. Using her spear to separate the mermaid she turned her back to Lucian.
"Have the mages distort your hearing. Ashton's song is overpowering the sirens, but no telling what other tricks they have up their sleeves." She ordered with a quick glance at the two circling monstrosities.
Devlin cast two third tier sound distortion spells on Lucian's armor. He couldn't attach them to Lucian directly thanks to his dragon blood. He was really kicking himself in the pants for not asking how the necromancer was able to cast spells on them.
"Move away from Caius! Figure out Mishi's attack range and double the distance!" Alexei roared seeing several of the warriors bursting into flame. They'd barely been hit but barely had been more than enough to get them killed.
Melia breathed a silent sigh of relief as the warriors bodies quickly reformed from the flames. There were, however, scars where the wounds would have been fatal. "Drive it west! Keep its mouths sealed with stone! Mages! Concentrate your attacks below the neck! Do NOT let any of those heads get cut off!"
Melia's hands were sweating, a hydra. Its green scaly skin was harder than stone. It would probably take four of her men to wrap themselves around one of its legs. It was the largest of all the beasts present. If she had to guess, from tail to head was about the same size as Kaveri. She was basically directing a battle against three Kaveri's, but instead of venom, it spat boiling water.
Seeing another warrior get stomped into the ground for failing to move out of the way, she reminded herself hydras had four very powerful legs. Thankfully no claws, but the heads could snap around and grab two full grown men in an instant.
She had to direct the battle while her parents fought the other beasts. Thankfully all the beasts were relatively easy to identify.
Princess Hazel was in her leather armor, Lady Glimmora attached to her back as they were besieged by the two wyrms. Both were only the size of a pony, but they were wicked fast. Lady Glimmora had blocked their first attacks.
Howe had been worried the flames would harm Lady Glimmora, but she coated her vines in them to smack the wyrms out of the sky. After each attack she would reapply the fire so clearly it was only helping her.
Hazel had to draw on Lady Glimmora's mana to dodge the wyrms. She didn't have time to counter any of the attacks!
Payton had finally finished summoning his golems. As they rose from the flame covered earth, the flames coated their joints, chest and heads like armor. Payton wasn't going to refuse the assistance!
Yott and Nana rushed to assist the unbloomed flower.
"The wyrm may be fast, but not faster than a bird, watch your feet young flower, there is a third." Nana warned dragging her sword through the stream of flames. The flames quickly coated her sword.
Howe didn't even have time to defend himself as the female bird turned warrior cut the tail off a hidden wyrm. Had the female not come to his aid… he might be missing his heart.
The wyrm screeched as it went face first into a stream of liquid fire. The screeches continued as it dragged itself out. Its body still on fire as it took to the air awkwardly. The fire had cauterized the wound, but the injury was obviously crippling.
Payton ordered three of his five golems to focus on the injured wyrm. It could barely stay airborne, and even then it could only glide. The difference was this wyrm was half the size of the previous two, it was also like Mishi. Its scales reflecting the area around it making it easy to lose track of. His last two golems were to help Howe and their soldiers keep the second wyrm busy.
Glimmora took the chance to press her assault. Reapplying the flames she chased the wyrm. Directing Hazel, she flooded her chosen human with mana. Her young human wouldn't be able to endure for long, but she didn't need long. Not when the fires turned silver.
Hazel forced herself to endure. She'd never moved so fast, she could hear her muscles tearing. Her mana reservoir was overflowing, she had no doubt her mana channels would also be damaged.
Glimmora wrapped her chosen human in her vines, sharing the silver fire. The excess mana was immediately siphoned, then condensed into armor.
Hazel dodged back as the wyrm dove at her instead of continuing to flee. Payton's golems had pinned the smaller wyrm while the black clad warriors started hacking it into pieces. The second wyrm was being held off by Howe, but she doubted he could keep it up for much longer.
Glimmora waited until the wyrm was almost on top of them, then she sprayed it in her pollen. Unlike when she'd given Nix a bath in her pollen to bless him, this pollen was a poisonous mist capable of corroding dragon scales.
The wyrm screamed, thrashing as it hit the ground. Desperately trying to scrape off the pollen. Its wings already little more than tatters of bloody hide, one eye had dissolved, and the claws at the elbows of his wings were melting.
Hazel used her sword to stab it through as it hit the ground. Even half melted its tail hit the ground with enough force to leave craters. Craters that quickly filled with the liquid fire.
Glimmora wrapped the struggling wyrm in her vines, uncaring as they were ripped through. She could always grow more vines. This wyrm was already dead, it was just giving its last moment struggles.
Hazel saw the wyrm going limp, she stepped forward to secure the beast core and get her sword back.
Glimmora poked the limp wyrm with a vine, then nodded for her chosen human to secure her spoils.
Hazel winced as the wyrms tail sent her flying. Thankfully she was immune to Lady Glimmora's pollen. As a golem caught her before she could break something, she leapt to face the last wyrm of any real threat. Glimmora had snatched her sword in the chaos, the beast core would have to wait.
Randal rolled his shoulders as the two guardian class mermen pointed at the Adarian delegation.
"We only want them." The female announced pointing her trident at Alaina's blessed.
"Oh, Aye ken, but ye no be getten em." The mountain man said as he hefted his axe onto his shoulder.
The ranger shrugged, "This be awkward ye see, cause we no let ya kill em. No unless ye get through us first."
Mitt leapt out of the ranger's hood as he grew into his battle form. "You want the blessed, our faith now in battle we test." Both guardians were blessed by different sea gods.
Randal assessed the mermaid, she was obviously the stronger of the two. The sea blue armor was made from scales. Every piece, every scale was enchanted.
The merman snorted, "Faith? Of a fallen god? He must be desperate indeed to join us mere mortals on the battlefield."
Tou, Itsu, Kokono, and Mitt all tilted their heads to the side, then shared a glance as they snickered.
"You are mistaken, Nix not who we speak of, when testing faith, its faith of our respective Gods. Your two sea gods, and our Sun God Ru." Kokono teased.
The merman spat on the ground. "Then you die here." Calling on his patron goddess he dawned his armor of water. It might look easy to pierce, but each flowing stream was stronger than leviathan scales. It would also move as he willed it so long as he had mana.
The mermaid looked past the rabble to the blessed. "Your goddess demands your lives. Will you resist her will?"
Rommel stared dumbfounded, "Lady Alaina is not a goddess." He refuted weakly, making sure to keep his cousins behind him. They may share blood, but he was not a royal. His duty was to ensure they survived. Before he was noble, he was Adar's general.
Zane didn't even blink and the mermaid was clashing weapons with Duke Randal.
Randal blocked the thrust, redirecting the trident into the ground. "Ye did no really think that would work, did ye?" Randal asked pulling his helmet down.
The mermaid raised a brow. "I did. Let's see if you can pull that off again."
Zane swallowed, the shock waves from their blows sent debris flying. Kokono was the only one assisting Duke Hammer, the rest were forcing the merman away.
The merman didn't even look like a merman anymore. His armor taking on a five headed hydra form. His body swimming through the massive beast as the heads struck.
Randal had kept an eye on all the groups, seeing the flower beast use the flames, he found a pillar of fire to swing his hammer through. This time when they made contact the flames leapt from his hammer to her trident.
The mermaid narrowed her eyes, then immediately used water to wash the flames away. "Parlor tricks."
Randal had pushed her away from the delegations, and away from most of the other beasts. There just wasn't a lot of room with so many battles going on. Kokono and he were taking turns tanking her blows. Every time he managed to redirect her trident at the ground water or ice expanded from the tips.
Kokono threw her bastard sword away, freeing her broadsword. "Water and ice, a strong combination, but fire and light, that is our salvation." Kokono reminded as she pressed her attack.
Randal watched as the two women traded blows faster than the human eye could follow. Ice slowly creeping up Kokono's blade. Instead of an all out brawl like with the guardian grade merman, theirs was a deadly dance.
Randal gritted his teeth as he pulled out a small shield. Fine, maybe live combat was what the doctor ordered. He hadn't been able to summon that golden light since Nix had shown him the steps.
Kokono's blade wasn't just freezing over, it was cracking. It was time for the next lesson of Ru's dance. Uncaring of her cracking blade she swung at the mermaid without heed of the danger. "I pray to Ru! God of the Sun! This dance I dedicate, my enemies to die in fire and blood!"
The mermaid snarled as she blocked with her trident and swiped at the female bird with her claws. Tearing through the pathetic excuse for armor she could already feel the blood drenching her claws.
Randal's eyes narrowed as he swung his hammer overhead. Bringing it down on the wrist already chest deep in Kokono with a roar fit for a dragon. "ROOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!" The sound wasn't just a declaration of battle, it was his only warning.
The mermaid screamed as her hand felt like it was drenched in magma. The roar further disorientated her.
Randal's hammer made contact, he felt the arm guard bend under his blow, but it didn't break. The mermaid retreated, clutching her hand to her chest as she stared daggers. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man.
The mermaid pulled on her shell necklace, a blessing of healing surrounding her half melted hand. The webbing between her fingers had melted in an instant. She stared at the hole in the female's side. Silver flames were licking at the hole her claws left.
Randal stood beside Kokono, "Are ye well wee bird?" He asked not taking his eyes off their opponent.
"This body not of flesh, this body not of bone, when the battle is over, some earth to remodel." Kokono assured as the flames poured out of the hole to form silver armor. She was not an attacker. Not like Ru. She preferred to defend.
Randal was relieved when the flames started to look like Nix's armor. At least it wasn't like her blood. "Then let us get these unpleasant tasks done, then find a good bit of earth for ye."
Kokono nodded, then tossing her mostly broken broadsword away she drew two daggers.
The mermaid snarled, breaking three of her shells.
Randal leapt back as water sprung forth. The flames weren't doused, they were just… covered. Well, that didn't look good. All the fire within twenty yards was now under a layer of water. Steam making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of them.
Just as Randal was about to press forward everything came to a stop. He glanced around to see everyone looking up. Following their gaze he saw Nix lifting Mishi by his tail. Then his voice carried over the clearing.