The cloaked figure watches as the creatures start marching forward, prepared to hunt down that which he is required to take. Just as the Pitborn are reaching the end of the clearing, ice falls from the sky. Stunned by small sharp cuts that the many ice shards are creating, the creatures stop their march and lay their hands above their heads for protection. Just as the ice from the sky starts to dissipate the creatures feel the ground rumble below them. They try to move, not knowing what is happening, but before they even lay their first steps spikes of ice shoot from the ground all around them, between them, and even through them. Frozen, yet awake, the Pitborn creatures try to move, but cannot. Suddenly above their heads a small glow of red light and for just an instant it warms the ice surrounding them, but as quickly as it appears it explodes around them. The ice is broken apart by the explosion, but just as the ice, their bodies were frozen and the Pitborn creatures come apart as well.
The cloaked figure watches as the explosion of fire finishes off his small army. Moments later two magicians enter the clearing ahead of him, from the left and the right. Talking amongst themselves he hears one say, “It appears we are not the only ones tasked to find the stone”, then the other, “You are correct my sister”. Now directed at him one says, “So who are you cloaked figure? Who has sent you to retrieve the stone?” The cloaked man says nothing. Raising his hands to the sky and tossing off his cloak, hundreds of bats appear to come out of know where from behind the three floating skulls positioned just behind his back. The sisters start their own magic, and the middle of the battle field is encompassed in flame, ice, bats and blood. The Summoner begins his second chant as the magicians fight off the bats, half successfully. As the bats wane, the sisters are torn about many places on their bodies; one sister throws a bolt of fire at the summoner just as a great winged creature appears in front of him. Barely feeling the blow of fire, but angry nonetheless, the creature throws his great scythe towards the fire magician, and begins his charge.
As his minion charges head on at the fire magician, the summoner does likewise towards her ice sister.
Running as fast as her armor will allow, only thinking of protecting her stone, the healer hears sounds of battle from behind her. She wonders what might cause her pursuers to battle amongst themselves, but pays that thought little mind as she struggles to get as far from the battleground as she can.
A whirlwind of strikes causes the magician to lose her balance before she can get her ice magic off, and she starts to stumble. On her way down she stretches out her leg and firmly plants her foot into the summoner’s chest as she plants her hands behind her and flips away. Twenty feet away her sister sees all this as she struggles to dodge blow after blow of the summoner’s minion. Maneuvering her away from its scythe with every attack the minion is finally able to get at it, and rises from the ground with a quick upper cut like blow that the magician is only just able to sidestep. A quick glance towards her younger sister, she sees her strike a strong blow to the summoners face. Feeling that her sister is ok, she decides to show the summoner’s minion her full attention. The minion swings the scythe yet another time down towards the magician’s legs, and a quick jump lets it swing freely below her. Scythe coming just out from under the magician the minion sees an opportunity, and before he gets off the full swing of the scythe he brings the hard top of his wing in on her face. Nose crushed on impact, blood splatter with the thud, the magician flies backward from the minion and to the ground. Hovering over her body, the magician feels the wind from the minions wings as it raises its scythe aimed for a direct hit to her head.
At the crescendo of his strike, the minion’s scythe is hit with a bolt of ice, knocking it from his hand. Turning to face the ice magician, the minion roars a sound of aggravation. Picking her self up from the ground, ignoring the pain resonating from her nose throughout what seemed her entire body, the fire magician jumps at the back of the minion, and throws her arms around its scaly neck. Squeezing with all her might, she sees the summoner coming from behind her sister.
Up off the ground the summoner walks angrily toward the ice magician. Seeing her sisters stare focus in on the land behind her, the ice magician turns about quickly as the summoner drives a blade under her chin, lifting her from the ground as the tip of the blade pops through the top of her head. Driving his other blade into her temple for leverage the summoner pulls the impaled blade out, and drops the ice magician’s lifeless body to the ground. “NO!” the fire magician screams. Strength seems to come from places she has never known existed, as she snaps the neck of the summoner’s minion and they both fall to the ground. Hand placed in front of her knee on the ground, the fire magician pushes her self to stand. Blood splatter about her face, tears welling to the point before they fall, the magician becomes engulfed in flames.
The healer, growing tired from her sprint, sees a red flash stream across the starless sky, and turns to see pillars of flames coming from the battleground. Knowing only a powerful magician could call on such magic, the healer has a renewed energy to escape this forest, for it would seem more than the dark forces are after her stone.
