Goblins appeared from thin air and jumped at soldiers as if they knew exactly where the soldiers would be. Ambushes from every conceivable point all at once as if there was a choreographed system of teleportation.

The elven mage was frozen in shock by what she bore witness too. It was like stepping into a dream, what was only seconds ago a quiet section of a rich jungle was now a deafeningly loud battlefield of fire.

Steve was beside her appearing to talk to himself again.

"But I like her," he said. Which made the high elf concerned, but not much more than she was before.

A loud squeaking came from what seemed to be s silvery insectoid over Steve's right shoulder.

"What was that!" She cried in confusion.

Steve turned to face the high elf with a smile.

"Nothing important," he replied. A slight sadness in his eyes. The high elf was more concerned but had more important things to do.

"Get back and defend the supplies, its too dangerous, here," she said. The elf turned back towards the battle, a determined stride in the walk.

Steve grabbed her wrist.

"You can't,"

She froze and blushed for a second before ripping her wrist from his hand.

"Know your place," she replied, staring him down before carrying towards the clashing armies. Suddenly, a firm and mature feminine voice mad her freeze in her tracks.

"Ah, my dear apprentice. You have done so well."

Out of the smoke, the woman stepped forward. She had large ornate horns atop her head, glowing golden eyes and a dark crimson smirk across her face.

"Dryad, but how," the high elf stuttered.

The dryad saw her expression, and more so her ears. Her very elven ears. The dryad grunted.

"Thought you killed us all didn't you?.. Did you think there was no one left? Noone who could stand up to your menace, your arrogance, hiding away in that citadel!"

"I-I didn-"

Cascading roots dove towards the high-elf, churning up the rocks and dirt as it speared towards her. The roots entangled the elf without much effort, she seemed to struggle and pant, still in shock. A resonating force of blue emitted around her but it seemed to do little use.

The dryad stepped towards her as Steve stood by and the high elf struggled some more against the tangling roots. Steve stepped in the way.

"You can't." He gasped.

"Out of the way, she knows she deserves this." She went to push Steve out the way and he struggled against the force until root wrapped around his leg and took him off to the side.

"Any last words, heathen?" She almost spat out the last words as she stared the high elf down, a dagger-like root pointing down at her face whilst she struggled against the force around her. A hand grabbed a hold of her wrist then and she turned to see Steve. Steve had somehow cut off part of his foot just to get out of the roots and now stared into the dryad's eyes as he held her hand.

"Solte ela," came a deep Portuguese voice. The dryad caught in the hypnotism could not stop locking eyes with Steve and soon released the high elf who collapsed to the floor panting.

The dryad furiously ripped away her hand, "You would betray the cave, betray me?"

The elf had caught her breath now, she brought down the sleeve of her robe revealing the metal of an intricately designed armour. A crystal lodged into the forearm as she touched it the gem started glowing a vibrant blue.

The dryad raised a shield of roots from the ground as a concentrated burst of blue energy shot towards her. A shot from the high elf's wrist before she got up from the ground.

She showed then how her armour appeared under her robe, a silver-blue metal illuminated by gems that began glowing in increasing intensity. The dryad stared her down through gritted teeth as she moved in between her and Steve.

"It's Ok. I've got it from here." She said to him.

"You will have nothing here." The dryad spluttered.

Just outside the bulk of the ambush, Adil was furiously fighting the cardinal. The cardinal flicked his arms around as he launched glass shards in rapid succession. Adil deflected a few but had already taken a few hits, the shards losing consistency as the mana constructs broke down, glistening in the light as they disappeared. Adil was being pushed back and seeing he couldn't approach headed for the trees. Shards ripped into the wood of the trees occasionally penetrating through. After witnessing the damage that the jagged transparent spikes were doing to the trees Adil could see how useful his mana shield had been. The shield was clearly disrupting the ability of the glassy constructs to hold together, causing them to do minor damage or shatter on his sword.

Adil couldn't approach with the sort of volley the cardinal was launching and so carried on weaving behind the trees waiting for an opportunity. Occasionally a tree was easily destroyed and moved around it appeared as if his cover was slowly disappearing. The monk focused a huge volley and demolished another tree, revealing whatever lay behind it. Adil was, however, nowhere to be seen.

Adil had instead launched himself into the air and started channelling lightning into his sword whilst flipping around. He nimbly dodged a glass spear. The superhuman acrobatics he had harnessed in this world once again being irreplaceable. The second strike, however, struck deep into his arm, making it go limp. But, his other arm was the one carrying the lightening.

He came crashing towards the holy figure on the floor, carried by the wind. The cardinal swung a glass fragment towards Adil's charged sword. Adil had broken the glass before and planned to again. This time though, even with the lightning charged up he heard a clang and bounced back.

Taken by surprise and put off balance the cardinals condescending look broke and appeared to allow for a subtle smile as the ground beneath Adil turned into a jet of a thousand needles impaling him where he stood.

At the same time In a warehouse at the back of the cave system, someone clad in heavy metal armour furiously tapped their feet. The runic symbol in front of them not having illuminated itself yet. A giant of blue-green skin tapped her on the shoulder.

"Patients, our time will come. Save your fury for the battlefield."

She smiled back to the giant, nodded and turned just in time to see their portals runic symbols begin to glow.

A voice interrupted them, the booming sound of a soldier.

"HELLO EVERYONE. YOU ARE ALL VERY GOOD FIGHTERS AND WILL DO GOOD IN BATTLE. I HOPE YOU ALL DO WELL. YOU SHOULD BEAT THEM SO WE CAN WIN."

Notification

you have been complimented

strength increased by 7.5%

Then Seras stepped forward and appeared in the midst of a heavy battle. The soldiers were running around in every direction desperately trying to organise themselves. Seras overheard a frantic soldier shout about how he swears he killed the same goblin three times whilst another shakes it out of him. He shouts "It's him again!" As one of the caves finest jumps out at him from a bush.

The twisted workings of the urakle at play here. Seras grinned, gripped her axe and got ready to party. Setting her eyes forwards eh saw a charge of goblins trying to get through a shield wall, she channelled energy into her axe and swung into the ground. A rippling wave of energy travelled towards the wall before erupting under them and scattering the unit into the air. Then she saw the dryad. The dryad was backing away, uselessly raising walls of roots after walls of roots which seemed to be batted away by a superpowered warrior in blue armour.

The armoured warrior glowed a deep blue on the shiniest armour she had ever seen. Each Swatt of her arm created an arcane scythe which cut up the walls of roots as she walked forward. Seras went int to move.

The high elf now menacingly moving forward with a determined stride left herself wide open. Seras swung into the air and released a sonic vibration which nocked the elf off balance and a few feet away. Not as much as Seras was expecting.

"About time," the dryad murmered.

Seras nodded and walked back in. The... What now appeared to be an elf, wiped a small streak of blood from her down her face. Seras dove again, but an arcane syth was there to meet her, only to be blocked by a wall of roots. which then disappeared to allow her another swing knocking the elf back. She feverishly launched attack after attack but could not get passed the roots, trying to activate her boots she launched partly in the air only to be taken to the ground through her lack of experience in using the armour. Seras was ready and swung again, cracking solidly into her with the axe. The high elf flew far.

"Fuck," she cursed, having cracked into a stone wall. Then the secondary explosion hit and she let out a blood-curdling scream of pain.

"Last words?" The dryad asked having moved along one of her roots to meet her. The high elf coughed instead of answering. The dryad turned to Seras.

Seras, the Earthborn captain fo the guards was now running in with her axe freshly drawn for another swing. She noticed Steve out the corner of her yee, far out the way. Steve appeared to be lying down and holding a hand out towards them as though he was pleading. Whatever this elf had done, put a purpose behind her stride. Just as she reached swinging range an unexpected barrage of glassy shards struck her and the dryad across their entire body.

A fight to their right appeared to have started creating mass casualties. Some careless idiot had made their opponent launch a barrage of diamond-sharp shards towards them without any warning.

The Seras and Morganna were stuck in place, glass in their chests, arms legs and even necks. Blood pouring out of every wound.

The elf confused and panting against the rock wall was only shocked and confused. It appeared to be the first time the elf had had either blood or sweat on their face, and it would likely be a lasting experience.