Jewell had been waiting for something to do. Waiting very impatiently. She had considered just moving into the Old Temple District herself and seeing what she could accomplish on her own. At least she could have been putting out the fires; they had become a steady itch at the back of her water-inclined mind. However, the risks of going in alone were too great and Jewell knew it. She always insisted that she was not influenced by any form of hubris. She knew her own limitations. She may have been able to keep herself disguised from unfriendly mortal eyes with glamour for any length of time, but such an illusion would fall apart quickly in the eyes of dark mages if and when she became distracted with fighting or putting out fires. Fighting against a host of several dark mages at once, Jewell could not do alone.

Therefore, she waited, putting herself at Kitty?s disposal and command. Although it felt like forever, she did not have to wait too long to get her assignment. She had to laugh when she did receive it, asking the Governor if she was serious. Assignment, if you choose to accept: accompany Renna into the Old Temple District. She didn?t even need a moment to think on it before she accepted. Renna and she got along swimmingly now and if there was anyone Jewell felt safe and confident going to war alongside, it was the Queen of Shadows.

Her fight with Lain earlier in the week had complicated the situation a little; Jewell wasn?t exactly fit for war. After getting her assignment, she sought out the first healer she could find and trust. Now, while she often insisted that she could not be healed by magic at all, this was simply untrue. Magic healing was extremely tricky and dangerous for the water fae. Because her body was really, in a way, of magic and accelerated its healing on its own, foreign magic was usually extremely painful, futile, and strenuous for her to undergo. Her body fought against any intruding magic, so while the healing might work it could easily drain, and even kill, her as she unconsciously fought against it. That notwithstanding, Jewell knew she could not seek battle in her condition. She also could not endure the healing of her entire body?bruised ribs, twisted ankle, and broken hand?but she could at least have service of her sword arm if it became necessary.

Come Saturday morning, she was flexing her right hand, all fingers newly fixed, as she moved to her rendezvous point. She had undergone the healing the previous day, giving her body just enough time to recover from the magical strain. Her left ankle was bound tightly, her limp barely noticeable, as were her ribs; she had rubbed goldenrod on both injuries, easing the discomfort and progressing the healing a little. All bandages were hidden under the black of her cat suit, the synthetic material skin-tight and made to be more defensive than a leather jerkin. Ah, the things technology and magic could produce together. Her long sword was sheathed on her back and only she could say how many little, hitless, blades she had hidden on her daringly curvaceous, especially in that cat suit, form. Blue hair was left exposed, tied back in a tight bun, unlike when she hunted the streets of the West End. She wanted her opponents to be able to remember what she looked like.

She was walking briskly to meet with Renna when she paused in the street to observe, brow suddenly furrowing in a frown, a group of men walking towards her purposefully. She recognized their uniforms instantly; these were members of the home guard. The furtive glances many kept casting of their shoulders as they picked up speed, some departing from the group down side streets and taking other paths, only confirmed in her mind that these were not just any members of the home guard but were indeed the soldiers that were supposed to be meeting with Renna and herself mere minutes from now.

Taking up position in the middle of the empty street?for who now would wander the streets of RhyDin so close to the Old Temple District, even in daylight?she served as a roadblock to the men. The leader obviously knew who she was, recognizing her from Kitty?s description perhaps, and brought his men to a halt before her. He cast a glance nervously about, tugging on the collar of his uniform. The crisp February clime suddenly felt rather warm. ?Miss Ravenlock??

She didn?t give him time to stumble out an excuse, eyes and tone cold as she spoke. ?The rendezvous point is back that way.?

He knew that, and he knew that she knew that he knew that. To be honest, his men were terrified of their assignment. They were just regular working men, reinforcements for the Town Watch, guys who signed up to earn some extra money and the ability to brag that they were soldiers all while staying out of harm?s way. Everyone knew that the home guard never got called up; the city rarely ever had a need for them. Now some of them had been called upon and had turned in fear from their fate, ?But Miss we were just??

She held up her hand for silence before directing them to turn about with her finger. ?The other way, captain. Now.? There was something impressive about little Jewell Ravenlock when she was in command. It may have been in the tilt of her head, the way she held herself, or the no-nonsense quality of her tone. Whatever it was, it had the captain nodding and shouting orders to turn his men about. There was some complaining, a few small scuffles breaking out as men tried to cut and run, before order was brought about and they were walking back the way they had came with Jewell serving as shepherd to this little flock.

Striding behind them, Jewell lifted herself off the ground now and then to make sure they didn?t lose anyone else. Seventy-seven, she had counted. However many Kitty had sent to help them, the rest had gotten away before she had taken control. She sighed, not wanting to waste time in tracking them down but wishing she had arrived sooner to prevent this situation from happening at all. She was afraid they would need all the help they could get.

Jewell managed to drive her group on and meet up with Renna quicker than she had anticipated. The brooding water fae was more intimidating than she perhaps realized, energy rolling off her as she grew more agitated the nearer to the fires they came. Most of the men on the home guard were human and not magically inclined, yet even they could sense in some way the powerhouse hidden within the petite woman marching behind them. The smoke, probably no more than a scent and a slight burning of the eyes to most, was setting off all her senses and quickly riling her up and none of the men wished to be in her way when she finally let herself go.

Even from the back of the small group of soldiers, the Empress could hear Renna?s angry question and it did not improve her own mood. This close, she could feel the fires raging and her hands itched to quench them. She longed for the bloodlust of battle that would soothe away all other worries besides seek, destroy, survive. She got the captain to halt his men before quickly making her way towards the front of the group, the guard parting for her with little more than a gesture. Her nose wrinkled in distaste seeing Renna mounted, she would not be talked down to by the Queen of Shadows.

Arms crossed over her chest, she raised herself up from the ground until she was on eye-level with the other woman. ?We lost a few men before I arrived to round them up, they were running in the other direction. They?re scared.? She had adopted her no-nonsense tone. This was not the water fae standing before Renna but the former guardian of Aquarius. ?What?s our first move?? Her eyes shifted to look out towards the Old Temple District, ?Do we have a specific objective, or did Kitty give us free reign to deal with this in our own way?? She was certainly hoping it was the latter as the Empress could be quite vicious when the occasion arose and today, she did not feel like holding anything back.

It was slow going moving the transformed ketch down the canal towards the old temple district. The masts had been removed from the ketch as well as any railing and the short aft castle. Stephen had transferred ten of the cannons from the Pride and Fury to the ketch which was now a make shift barge. Stephen shook his head at the unsightly beast he had created.
"This be wha' I get fer thin'in'" He let out a long sigh of fustration, still unable to believe that he accepted this task from Kitty much less volunteered.

Looking down the canal he could see a gathering of troops near one of the bridges. He could only assume that is where he could best be positioned, having neither met or even spoken to this Renna person. Looking closer he saw the flash of blue hair, and knew without question it was Jewel. He had heard that she would be helping in this ordeal, perhaps it would be best if he let her know he was here.
"Ye there boy! Can ye run?" Stephen called out to a teen watching the barge pass from the street. The teen nodded his affrimation.
"Good then run ahead yonder an' deliver this message tae the blue haired lass. "Tell 'er tha' Captain Kidd be a' 'er service." The lad ran off to deliver the message.

?I know nothing of what we?re up against, Jewell. I am as blind as any other person on what exactly await for us within the District, but if it is simply Mages and Vampires then there is nothing for us to fear. I have become quite the expert in destroying bloodsuckers? Mages however are whole different kettle of fish.? Renna smirked as she stopped the saunter of her horse at the centre of the bridge, swinging her legs around seconds later as she hopped down from her perch upon her strong white steed to the ground.

Peering back to Jewell as she led her horse back across the bridge and away from the action, she pointed out to one of her Barbarians and ordered him with all haste to ride her horse back to the Den of Shadows, and have Mu prepare Dhyvarad for battle? Dhyvarad was Renna?s trump card and if things were going to get a little bit too hairy she would surely summon him to this location to take care of this whole charade.

Being so large and with wings it should not take him long to cover forty miles.

Once the Barbarian was riding away Renna approached just below where Jewell had ascended into the air, and so grinned up at her rather cockily, ?Fires are not my concern Empress as it does little harm to me, but putting out the fires can be your prerogative if you so wish? The last time I checked you aren?t too fond of fires so maybe it is for the best.? Peering then down the canal, Renna finally took notice of the ship in the not so far-off distance, ?Besides, I think your temper might actually help us today, it may make the enemy think twice.?

Very confidently she looked down at the boy who had delivered the news, but kept her attention and voice directed to her floating cohort in arms. Renna?s eyes were hungrily eyeing the teen up which made the young man in turn look somewhat uncomfortable, he almost cringed in fact.

?Those weapons may come in handy, but without coordinates he will simply be firing blind. He might hit us or some innocent civilians... Personally I?d have this whole place levelled to the ground, so, he is also yours to use Empress; you can do what you want with this Stephen. I do not need help from people outside of the extended family.? With that said, Renna turned off and made a quick bee-line across the bridge with her Barbarian horde following closely behind with their eager little faces, tapping their weapons in their opposite hands in excitement of the upcoming battle.

With one resounding shiiiiiink! Lucy?s Ravenlock short sword; retaining Lucy?s name engraved down the flat of the blade, finally made it self known to the smoke-ridden air at last. Twirling the hilt once about her hand, she swung the tip at low arch from left to right in front of her moving Lucybooted feet, the display was a mere analysis to workout how to hande her weapon she rarely had used in a battle situation. Maybe she should have trained with it beforehand so she got used to how light it was compared to her other more heavy weaponry like her morning star.

Standing confidently on the other side of the bridge, she observed the charred and ruined buildings that had fallen upon the road that would lead deeper into the burning District. Using her scarlet orbs and sense of smell she searched the rubble for any survivors ? partially hoping she would spot a corpse or two.

Renna?s smirk was purely malevolent now and there would be nothing that would wipe that expression off of her face. Using her free hand she raised three fingers into the air, this caused the Barbarians to look directly at their Goddess expecting another order, she then used the sword to indicate the ruins and without so much of a bark of acknowledgement, three of them danced forward with bows, climbing the long cold unspoken remains to get a better vantage point.

Keeping track of the barge Stephen was bringing down the canal, she moved lower to the ground to respond to Renna, ?They should think twice after seeing me angry, it?s not a pretty sight, I swear.?

Turning, hands on her hips, she regarded the men under her command. ?Form up on the other side. Like I said?three groups! You?re going to be going in, helping any remaining people out of the district if need be and killing anyone that stands in your way, understand?? The men moved to do her bidding as she gave another glance towards where Stephen was, listening to Renna. ?I?ll think about what we can use the canons for, hopefully Stephen has some idea.? At Renna?s statement, that Stephen was all hers and that she could do what she wants with him, a feral grinned formed on her lips. ?I?m sure I can think of something to do with him, though it may not be productive to the task at hand!? She called out after Renna as the Queen of Shadows crossed the bridge to the other side.

She finally let her feet touch down on the rock parapet of the bridge, turning her attention to the boy who had delivered the message from Stephen as the home guard joined the rest of Renna?s barbarians in crossing. ?Boy, can you tell Captain Kidd that he is to come as close to this bridge as he can and that I will meet with him in a few minutes?? The boy nodded, simply racing back off the bridge on the safer side as Jewell jogged along the parapet towards the Temple side.

Jumping off the bridge onto the solid ground of the Old Temple District moments before the explosives went off, Jewell moved towards the rubble where the first of her men were forming up in rank. She opened her mouth to start shouting commands when the world rocked and exploded in noise and fire. The fae went flying forward, not of her own initiative this time, from the sheer force of the explosion as well as the flying debris: rock, metal, bodies. She skidded to a stop against a pile of rubble, ears ringing from the concussion of the blast the least of her problems. Blood streamed down the side of her face from her temple, a sticky wetness she was barely conscious of. She was more aware of the smoke filling the air, making it hard to breathe and see, and the body she found lying dead beside her as she struggled to rise. It was one of the home guard men, someone under her command.

She felt sick.

She was furious.

Getting to her feet was hard, her vision swimming, but she forced herself up with one hand on a partially collapsed wall. This was not a good start to the day; her whole body already ached, covered in countless cuts and bruises. Gritting her teeth, she took a step in the direction she had last seen Renna. Even moving a few steps was hard, all of her senses thrown off. She couldn?t see, couldn?t hear. What they really needed was a wind elemental with them, what good was her water magic when she couldn?t even see? No, don?t go towards Renna, go towards water, towards the bridge. What bridge? It didn?t matter, she turned about and started to move towards where she could feel the water calling to her. She tripped over the partially intact body of one of the barbarians, or what she thought was one of the barbarians from what she could see as she landed roughly besides it.

No, this was definitely not a good start to the day.

The smoke rushed forward like it was attempting to escape the force of the explosion. A thick heavy haze soon covered the immediate area just like an atomic bomb would if you had dropped one atop of Rhy?Din.

Renna?s vision blurred as her wings opened up to enclose about her in two large black feathered petals, protecting the delicate flower within from the flying shards of falling charred pebbles and debris.

She and her Barbarians were far enough not to be caught in the initial blast of the bomb, yet there were those unfortunate few however who just that little bit too close to the bridge. Those who were close enough either died instantly from their sever burns, were thrown into the canal where they were promptly drowned under the falling chunks of the now non-existent bridge,or were quite literally blown apart from the sheer force of the kinetic energy given off by the explosive device.

After Renna?s ears had finished with they?re high-pitched ringing feedback her mind was ablaze with confusion as to what the hell had happened. Her wings thrust outwards from her body in one quick and powerful movement, creating one large gust of wind that tossed the settling dust from her and quite some number of meters, revealing the few injured or puzzled Barbarians under Renna?s charge.

?Stand ready!? Renna called out, settling a hand against the side of her face, soothing it as that oncoming headache begun brewing. ?Stand ready, Barbarians!? She stumbled forward, shaking her head to work out some of that dust that had blocked her thought processes? First things first, she went in search of Jewell looking down as she once again entered a wall of foggy dust, paying careful attention to her feet as to not trip over anything or anybody.

The chorus of moans and groans of the dying or injured mortals had struck Renna with a grin, yes, even though some of those cries for help were indeed her own forces she found a sadistic pleasure in hearing it? Finally she felt at home when she spotted the various disembodied limbs and bits of pieces of human flesh and organs scarttered below her person. Carefully she stepped over what appeared to be a torso missing a rather large helping of its face, when the dust had settled enough she spotted Jewell apparently lying beside what appeared to be one of her own troops? Or what was left of him.

Dashing forward with sword in hand she knelt beside Jewell, a concerned look upon her face. ?Get up, Jewell. We don?t want to be caught off-guard in a counter attack...? That said, she glanced over her shoulder to some of the rising few who were only partially injured, or were just thrown by the blast just like Jewell was. "Looks like we lost a good quarter..."

Even hell hadn?t been this bad. Once down, it felt nearly impossible to get back up again. Her head was pounding, spinning. Her eyes stung, tears filling them as protection against the smoke. ?Get up!? Her mind screamed but it was a lot easier said than done. Hands, cut with little bits of superheated metal, pressed flat on the ground to make an attempt at rising.

It was then that Renna appeared, an angel of death parting the smoke and debris to kneel at her side. She couldn?t hear her speak, the blast having filled her ears with a roar of absolute silence that still persisted. She could read lips, though. Jewell resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the insistence that she get up. ?I?m trying,? she growled out, not even realizing that she was shouting at the Queen of Shadows. Grabbing onto Renna?s arm, she used her like a crutch to get to her feet again. She missed the comment about the counter-attack or she would have corrected Renna that they first needed to attack in order to be counter-attacked. They hadn?t even gotten that chance yet.

If only she could see how absolutely horrible she looked upon standing. Blood coated the whole one side of her face. Her hair had escaped from its bun and was flowing in a wild mess down her back, a little portion matted with red near the bottom of her skull. Even her outfit, that lovely cat suit meant to withstand all sorts of blows, had not come out of this initial strike unscathed; part of the back was burnt away from where she had skidded, the skin beneath cut up and raw.

Amazingly enough, she had been in worse condition before. Much worse, in fact. At least she wasn?t buried alive under the rubble this time, she wouldn?t have been able to recover from that. She let go of Renna once she felt steady enough on her feet. ?Need to fix something,? she tried to mutter to herself but it still came out quite loud due to the current hearing problem she was having. The fixing was easily accomplished. The illusion crafted with glamour she held around her at most times?to hide her scars, conceal the faint glow of her skin, make her look more ?normal??was completely dropped. Her wide assortment of scars surfaced, most hidden by the outfit she wore, while her fair skin took on a faint glow that could be seen as she stood amidst the smoke. Even her grey eyes seemed to have a little something extra, non-human, a sparkle.

?I need to go find Stephen.?

Battered hands fell to her side glowing a faint blue that seemed to trail after her like a mist as she started to move forward towards the water again.

Renna would had something to say about seeking out this Stephen ? more along the lines of: ?don?t think with your dick, Jewell? but Jewell was? Well. Jewell! All Renna could do was snort as she heard a rather incoherent man barking out orders to the cowering mortals of the Home Guard and the occasional Barbarian. Understandably she was protective of her People ? the Barbarians of Souan, and with someone else ordering them around she felt quite awkward... Maybe even as little bit enraged?

Yet she bit back her sly and sarcastic comments and turned with clenched fists; the leather on her sword?s hilt groaning oh so very noisily under its Queen?s inner wrath. How dare someone blow up a quarter of her force! How dare they use such crude tactics ? how dare they use such technology? But then if Renna were in their shoes? Wouldn?t she have done the same? A touch of awe caught her eyes as she turned away from the approaching Stephen and the searching Jewell? A romantic reunion upon the battlefield of blood and gore was imminent and she really, really did not want to see it.

Power-walking across towards her waiting minions, she was unwittingly caught on the leg by an injured Home Guard?s bloodied hands, he begged for something ? how could the Queen of Shadows tell when he was blubbering his words in a chain of pain-felt sentences? His legs were sort of? Off. They clung on by a few strings of tendons and sinews of muscle just below the knee and he was going to die sooner or later by the blood loss?

Renna was not a healer. So she opted for what she did best. She ended the man?s life with a swift stab of her sword into the man?s back, severing several arteries around his heart to end his life a little bit more humanely than having the blood drain right out of him over a long period of time. Why on earth was she here, really? Why go against Vanion who ? without a doubt, had the same interests as she?

Ripping the sword out from the motionless man, she licked the tip of her Ravenlock sword like a big old metal, bloodied lollipop.

Gra?dal ? the strongest Barbarian limped forward, his right hand a bloodied mess of broken fingers, yet all this man would ever need was one working hand and his weapon close by and still he would take down a few others with him before succumbing to the brunt of fatal injuries. ?Ten of our Souan people dead? Six are injured? They fight still. What are the Goddess?s orders??

?What are my orders?? Renna questioned gently, storming past her injured right-hand man to the main road, ?We?re going to take revenge... But first we waste no resource ? set the Barbarians up, I want at least twenty of you with bows at the ready. Is that understood?? Turning briskly, her forces had already begun moving out at the Queen?s command, they were taking up point behind her ? Renna would always be at the front of an attack, she would not be so cowardly and hide behind her legion. She knew this was the best way to inspire some courage.

Raising her sword into the air her head lowered ever so slowly, the black wings that usually were folded behind her back opened up in a sudden yet another brisk movement. With one almighty thrust downwards she had taken flight above their heads ? just far enough to observe the dead scattered bodies laying about the area. As she hovered there; her wings expertly keeping her at the same level of height, the very familiar appearance of the Shadow Arms had made itself known for all to see, their claws snatching out toward any scent of life around them without actually going in for the kill...

The fallen men and women of their own forces were the Shadow Arm?s target and like as if there were miles upon miles of length to them, they rush out to sink into skulls of the dead or dying Home Guard meters away. Those who were unfortunate enough to have been conscious during their slow death had screamed a most eerie death-howl as the claws of the Shadow Arm sink into their mind and into their very soul? They could feel something taking over? Oh yes, they screamed alright. The Shadow Demons were taking over.

The dead and dying had suddenly sparked into violent seizure as mysteriously, the somewhat crude Pentagram mark of Renna?s Kingdom was carved deep into their foreheads by a phantom source. The screams had eventually withered way leaving only a wraith-like screech that was most certainly uncomfortable to the ears; they tore at their own skin and muscle and vessels trying desperately to get down to the bone! Those who had lost limbs went in search to reattach them back on somehow to successful effect ? eyeballs were gouged away, tongues were pulled out ?any armour was swiftly discarded for any of those who had worn it when they had died?

If there had been blood before, now there were junks of flesh and litres of coagulated blood rotting about the area, leaving the living dead skeletal remains of the Black Monks standing ready for their Queen?s command amongst the mess of their own flesh. Holding whatever weapons they could get their hands on they even had their own little single Shadow Arm poised like some striking snake just above their body, waiting for the time to strike.

?We shall eat the flesh from their bones? My children.? The Queen of Shadow's eyes had erupted into a deep dark mixture of red and azure, "We shall have their throats in our hands."

"Ye know I do 'ave a idea or two on tha' but fer now le's concentrate on the task a' 'and shall we." He grinned smugly to Jewell and then pointed out the same intersection he had showed his gunner.

"I 'ave a idea about tha' clearin' there though I be nae accoustomed tae the manuevers o' a land battle." He went over his idea once more in his head.

"I 'ave me cannons primed wit' some fire pots wha' if we launched them a' tha' point could lay down a cover o; smoke fer ye tae move across the canal an' intae the district wit' out 'avin' every movement seen I thin' " He couldn't be certain since he was unfamiliar with this part of the city, and without a map and cordinates he could only fire at what he saw and saddly that was not much.

"After the fire pots I will 'ave me men stand ready wit' rounds o' grape in case any force o' thiers comes down tha' way. Alas other then tha' I fear me cannons will prove useless." He was honest with her and a bit crestfallen at his lack of purpose. Then his spirits lifted as he blurted out his thoughts. "Unless o' course ye want I should jus' fire at will o'er the whole district." He knew she would never go for that and shrugged.

"Tha' bein' said where do ye wan' me?" He drew his basket hilted broadsword and stood ready for her to command as she would.

She rolled her eyes, smirking at Stephen?s inference, before they got down to business. A shiver ran over her at the mention of fire pots but the idea had some merit and she couldn?t completely dismiss it despite her absolute abhorrence of fire. She tapped her cheek, thinking, until he threw out the idea of firing at the whole district. Her finger went up, ?Uh?yeah, that?ll be a negative on that one. Who knows how many people are still hiding away in their homes??

A glance to Renna to see what she thought on the matter and she was forced to keep back her breakfast once more as the Queen took a nice bite of human flesh. Jewell couldn?t abide eating animal flesh, much less human, and had to wonder if Ren was purposefully messing with her this morning. She looked away from her while listening to the trap idea. It too had merit and her tactical mind was flying through the possibilities to try and come up with something that would: not get them all killed (or at least her, as Stephen and Renna were a little bit harder to take down in that way), not get their forces completely destroyed (Kitty might be upset about that), bring down all the opposition in some grand sweep. She didn?t want much!

?Okay, we?re gonna go with both.? That?s right, speak as if you?re the absolute authority in the situation. ?We can?t retreat towards this bridge because that would be too obvious being as how?well,? she gestures towards the rubble, ?there?s no escape here and it would be an obvious trap.?

She stepped back so there was a tiny bit of space between the three of them and, with a wave of her hand, created a small map of Temple District on the ground. It was fairly accurate, although created from memory, as she had been studying the maps since the outbreak of this little problem. It was taking a good amount of concentration to create this little illusion and she was certainly hoping that the other two were watching their backs for now.

?We are here.? A little blob of color, blue, appeared at their position near where the north-most bridge had been. ?Stephen, I like the idea of the fire pots,? touch of a nose wrinkle, it pained her to say that, ?to hide our initial movements. Stephen can set fire to this intersection, letting us pass through mostly unseen. Renna, you take your forces and move south-west along this main road here.? A blob of color, deep purple, broke off from the blue and headed down one of the main roadways of the district towards the Temple of Divine Light. ?Stephen can send the barge back down the way it came towards the second bridge, further making it look like we?re leaving a door open for retreat?which we don?t need because I could just freeze the river.? Another small block of color broke off, a little brown shape floating down the river towards the second bridge.

?Now, as for Stephen and I?if you don?t mind staying on land?? she shot a quick glance up at him before looking down to the map again. ?We can take the rest of the forces along this road,? the road that ran parallel to the river lit up for a moment. She gave herself a second to pause and consider where she wanted to go from there. ?I can shield our movements fairly well from unfriendly eyes with glamour, even for a little while.? She bit at the inside of her cheek?that was going to be a little rough to do. ?We?ll continue on to this road here,? indicating a side road right past the Temple of Divine light, ?where most of us will turn off and head up towards the Library to meet you. The rest will continue on towards the bridge to lay in wait. They?ll lose the protection of my illusion by that point but they?ll be so far along they probably won?t need it.?

All this had been communicated to the two in a soft tone to prevent unfriendly ears from hearing. ?From the Library, if we do manage to actually attract attention and not scare anyone away, we can retreat down towards the second bridge. What do you think?? Brows going up, a questioning look sent between Renna and Stephen.

First came the sound of thunder... then a brief shaking of the ground. Nothing major, that far away from the river, but Karen still felt it.

She pushed up from her desk and went to the window overlooking the courtyard of the Chapterhouse. "Report!" she yelled, her watery-pale blue eyes drawn to the cloud of smoke and dust across the city.

"It came from near the First Bridge" replied one of the soldiers. "We should hear from a patrol any minute now."

Karen nodded... she could see that much for herself, but she'd hoped that it had been caused by one of their allies.

There was a knock on her door. "Come." she said absently, still looking out towards the smoke.

"The First Bridge is gone, Lady Wilder." said Lianna, entering the room. "A large force, including some Watch, were moving in to the District."

Karen turned, hearing the pain in Lianna's voice. "Any ye knew?"

The woman shook her head. "No Lady, but there are many dead. The leader of the force seems to be a woman of great power. I told the cats to clear out of the area."

Karen nodded. "There'll be more dead, Lianna..." she said. "We'll be movin' on th' Myr'Khul in force verra soon."

Stephen nodded at Jewells plan after all she and renna were in charge here not him, he was only here to lend whatever support he could.

"Aye Jewell I will go let me crew know o' yer plan. I will gather a few men an' meet ye back 'ere."

Stephen did not wait for a reply from Jewell or Renna and quickly headed down to the ketch. His crew was waiting for him the guns already primed and loaded with the firepots.

The gunner whom Stephen had instructed on the targeting of the guns was the first to speak. "Yer orders Cap'n."

"Ye will put down a volley o' fire on tha' location, then ye will move back down the canal tae the next bridge." He looked at the bridge and thought back to Jewells map. "There be a street tha' feeds out tae the edge o' the canal down there keep a careful eye on it tha' it be nae used as a sallydoor tae trap the ground forces there aye."

The gunner nodded his understanding "The grape be ready cap'n if anyone tries to get close to this 'ere canal we will rip'em to shreds we will."

Stephen nodded his approval. "Any man willin' I need some o' ye tae come wit' me an' head intae the fray."" Stephen grinned knowing that within his lot of ruffians he would have atleast thirty men ready to scrap if for no other reason then just because it was thier nature. True enough when he headed back to Jewells position Stephen had thirty seven motley crew members with him.

"We be a' yer command Jewell ye point an' we kill." He grinned smugly.

Things happened so quickly on the battlefield, even when the field was really the ruined streets of a magical city at the center of the multiverse. No sooner had Stephen returned with some of his men then that voiced announced, seemingly from nowhere, ?You are surrounded. Do not move any further, or we will be forced to eliminate you.?

Jewell didn?t panic, it wasn?t in her nature to do so (at least not at the moment). She shifted ever so slightly, slowly, to look at Renna. They were going to have to deal with this in an entirely different way. The Dark Queen was one step ahead of her, however, and she hissed in pain as that tendril dug into her. Her dear family member could be such a bitch sometimes but she listened carefully to her streaming voice all the same.

?This is gonna hurt,? she murmured so quietly that she would be surprised if even Stephen heard her.

Still linked with Renna, she closed her eyes in order to see the world through a different light. In this way, it was fairly clear where their opponents were even as Renna and her forces rushed to meet with them. This information was pivotal unless she deemed it worthwhile to take down her own forces in an attempt to kill their enemies. The fight may come to that down the line, but not yet.

In her mind?s eye she drew a line, a perimeter basically outlining her forces in preparation for the attack she was about to execute. That line she drew served as a benchmark, and everything outside of it now became her target. She reached out with her elemental magic, no sign of its activation visible to the eye. Her plan? With her other sense, she located each drop of water that existed outside that little safety-box she had drawn in her mind, outside the perimeter. Her next step? Freeze it all. It was an area of effect attack, designed to affect a large region indiscriminately. It took a huge amount of energy and concentration for her to do it, exerting her will to flash freeze it in a sudden burst, but it was worth it.

The water that existed outside the little perimeter she created varied in placement: a clogged gutter, a melting patch of snow, the human bodies of soldiers sent to kill her and her men. Every last bit of it should freeze with the touch of her magic. And when water freezes it expands, even when inside the human body. And when it expands a person dies, painfully and grotesquely.

Everything went slow in her mind, in the world of magic, taking forever for her but only lasting a few seconds in reality. When it was done, she was careening towards the ground as her knees were suddenly weak.

(Sorry about the laaaate post. Seems there was some confuzzlement on who posts next! Whoopsie! It was my turn! SORRY!)

Crimson hues of darkest blood swirled amongst the patches of fire that seemed to pool into those deep set black pupils, like the flaming sun hanging high in the abyss of space. They became oval almost ? perhaps not quite ? starry in their depiction and not so much featureless like any other basic pupil should be? They seemed?

Treacherous?

When Jewell had released her powers unmercilessly to the hordes that surround them, Renna and her skeletal hosts took a direct dive into the ground ? into a shadow no doubt, where they seemed to disappear without a trace. Had they scampered from the fray? Had they left the fight for Jewell and that pirate to take care of? Had RennaBetrayed Jewell Ravenlock? Some might believe so, but Renna had other ideas?

When the icy attack was finally absconded from the air, leaving the countable dead enemies shattered into chunks of frozen meat, several cracks of energy sprouted from the very shadows of each and every one of those blasted techo-users that was in the area? Not ONE person could not hide the fact that somewhere ? wherever they were ? their bodies cast a shadow, a place buried in darkness (and no not hell, despite you would think Renna could willingly go to and fro from such a place), a portal to Renna?s world?

Well, one of them anyway.

And so from Renna?s madness the Shadow Arms sprout like the many lengthened limbs of some unseen creature lurking the deep blackness on the ocean floor.

Some may deem the Shadow Arms a magical attack and some could argue that it is some form of energy that creates the phantom-like appendages that Renna seems to naturally summon at will? But no! They are physical and have enough power to make armoured (suits of armoured type) men look like an easily dissembled mannequin.

Disembowelled, limbs to be torn off - hell - even thrown high into the air to have their necks snapped by the impact of the sudden rush towards the ground? There are multitudes of ways to perish against these monstrosities against nature. Just what were they made from? ? Where did they come from? Who knows, really? But they do the job so very well. Much better than most magical attacks.

"Tae 'ell wit' this Jewell! If ye wish tae stay 'ere an' wage this lil' slug an' bash fight ye can be me guest, but I'll be 'avin' nae part o' tha'. I be headin' tae me guns. We can rebuild this whole section fer all I care."

Stephen was no ground soldier and he was not about to get drug down into this toe to toe scrap. No his cannoons could level the whole place, and he would care not one rip. Buildings could be rebuilt, improved upon even for that matter.

He turned on a heel and began to stride purposefully towards the barge not waiting to see if anyone followed.

"Lads prime them cannons. We'll shoot'em high, we'll shoot'em low it do nae matter fer in the end we will shoot'em down an' we be bound fer glory 'ell or death on this dark an' bloody ground."

"Fire in threes wit' alternatin' ordance!" Stephen barked at his men on the barge who began to load the cannons. There were ten 16 pound guns on the barge, and firing in threes left one gun unaccounted for.

"Keep tha' last gun primed an' loaded wit' chain. If there be anybody wha' wants tae take this barge they will pay dearly fer it."

Gun crews in Stephens line of work were a valuable commodity, and his had been drilled, trained and drilled some more till they could prime, load and send of a new shot within thirty odd seconds. Jewell and her band of men were just coming towards the barge when the gun crews began to fire.

Common cannon balls with their blunt force tore through anything in their path as they flew into the old temple district. Exploding shells following in their wake to tear up even bigger swaths of cityscape, lastly the grape shot poured over the area peppering the whole of it with hot lead balls designed to only one end, to eliminate people. The barage was having the desired effect as everything in front of the barge was soon a mess of smoldering rubble, and smoke.

Thomas one of Stephen's trusted crew members was making his way to each of the gun crews offering handkerchiefs dipped in water to the men. It would serve to keep them cool for a bit, as well as being able to tie them over their faces to act as a filter against the smoke.

Stephen looked to Jewell, and yelled over the roar of the cannonade.

"It do go against yer water sensibilities doe's it nae, but tis a gran' sight ye mus' admit."

New sounds of explosions thundered in the distance as Karen prepared herself for battle. In moments, there was a knock upon her door. "Come..." she said, dreading what she would here.

The young knight, Sir Talomar, opened the door and saluted her. "More news, Commander." His voice was tired, and his armour still showed the soot and blood of the battles of the day.

"Tell me while ye 'elp me arm." Karen replied, indicating the remaining plates still on the arming stand.

"An honor, Commander." Sir Talomar said, stepping over and taking the vambraces from the stand. As he helped her dress in the seldom-used heavy plate, he gave his report.

"The new explosions are being caused by the cannons of a war-barge in the river. Lookouts say the barge was moving towards the First Bridge when it exploded. Shortly thereafter, men were seen disembarking the barge."

"Only a small number of people were seen returning to the barge before it began it's bombardment. By what we can see, the area they are assaulting is considerably larger than would seem prudent. We cannot be sure if there were any refugees remaining that that area, Catholic or not."

Karen nodded, taking her helm from the stand... completely prepared for battle now. "See ifin we cain't flag down one o' those wyvern riders."

"Yes Ma'am. Do you have a message?"

"Aye..." Karen said, tucking her helm under her arm and opening the door. "Tell 'im I need a ride tae th' river."