The darkness seemed to pulse and heave like a birthing sow discoursing a horde of chittering wargs, huge fangs gleaming, their stunted ape like bodies were covered in blue warpaint and there disgusting distended arms carried crude stone knives.

As one they saw Erika, as one they charged.

The first hurled itself into the air, unhinging its jaws and aiming for her chest, Erika sidestepped and slapped an [acid arrow] into its face. The second got closer enough to touch swinging its club, Erika caught the wrist and cast [Heat Blood].

The creature’s soul instinctively dampened the magic, stopping it from boiling its blood, but it howled and fell backwards in pain causing the two behind to slam into it and spray backwards on the floor.

Erika drew on the memories of the spells she had cast in the expedition, shaping the story of the magick through her soul, a ribbon of Odium from Well to world imbued with her intent.

This was the spell she’d learned after seeing the Meridian fight, Erika wasn't third circle yet but she didn’t need to be for this.

[Caustic Bile] erupted from her hands, a tidal wave of unpleasant milky yellow acid which sluiced across the prone Wargs, they screamed and howled as their flesh bubbled and ran, like a snowbank someone had doused in boiling water.

Another came around the side, low and fast using its arms for speed, it leapt forwards and grappled her with its lanky arms, trying to drag her to the ground.

But now it was caught in a grapple with her, its lower jaw stuck on her shoulder unable to bite, Erika wasn't so limited, one [Graft: Warg] later and her huge fangs tore its throat out as her hands fired another [Caustic Bile] behind its back, coating the floor the surviving Wargs hissed and howled and jumped and raged, streams of smoke rising from their burning feet and fur.

Erika finally could see it, her path before her, the Meridian, the ambush, all of that had been more than she could handle, but this? Erika wasn't a warrior, and she wasn't trained to fight, she had neither armour or weapons, and yet she was stopping a charging Warg tribe in its tracks single handily, for the first time since her studies began Erika could finally see why vitki were feared.

The Wargs finally fell back, cautious, and cowardly now that the first rush had been defeated, mouse hearted creatures that they were. Despite this however Erika wasn't sure she should keep attacking, stupid little monsters they were but she could see at least thirty of them scattered about in the darkness, not including the ones she’d killed.

One of them was limping backwards, its feet badly burned, Erika stepped smartly after it her own boots entirely unaffected by the Bile, and leaning down sank her Warg grafted fangs into the back of its neck, snapping its spine and, with a shake of her head, threw its carcasses into the darkness.

The Wargs backed up again, the show of strength nearly breaking them, but it wasn't quite enough. Even as she stood their a few crept around the edges of her vision aiming for her flanks, whilst the main body of the Warg tribe shuffled in place, not retreated, or charging just moving back and forth waving their arms around as they did so.

It was a serious risk each time a vitki Drowned their Well, but Erika was tempted to endure it for the third time this expedition, a Gorebeast could slaughter the lot of them in less than a dozen heartbeats but doing that again? Risking her Well? The pain?

Erika was snapped out of her thoughts by a dull twunk sound and the scream of a dying Warg.

Looking over her shoulder she smiled a true and pure smile.

Of course, she wasn't alone was she?

“To the vitki!”

“Rangers keep them back…!”

“Shieldwall!”

A storm of shot and bolts flew through the air, scything down the probing Wargs as they scurried and howled. Striding across their corpses came the veterans, forming the shieldwall before Erika, the young bloods massing at the edges ready to skirmish and retreat. Spears flashed in the air and axes thundered against shields, creating a direful heartbeat that filled the hall and drowned out all other sounds, like the pulse of Thor.

The Wargs broke and ran, their natural cowardice finally overwhelming their fear of their chieftain or whatever else had ordered them out to raid and scavenge. A few more axe blows cut down fleeing figures and Erika hurled a [Caustic Bile] after the rest boiling their fur and skin away enough that she was sure if the blood lose didn’t get them the infection would.

Standing their panting and proud, surrounded by the delvers Erika smiled which became a laugh as they cheered her name.