Ereollynda C3.3

A very late night post 🌙. Things are going well, even if my day job continues to be a dumpster fire 😅. I'm really looking forward to the things I have planned for fall, crazy how it's August already! -xx/xx/xx

Even in darkness, the pair navigated the southern mountain range with ease.

Ereollynda and Nelius stood in the cool night air. Nothing felt amiss, until her senses screamed at her to dodge. Suddenly, she found herself tumbling from Nelius’ back, and down parts of the mountain. Ereollynda landed on her back, and immediately blocked the jagged wooden spear coming down. A feral scream filled the night. Using all her strength, she forced the spear back and got back to her feet. Again, the spear stabbed at her from the shadows. This time, she precisely blocked the blows. Ereollynda locked on the faint thread of energy she could make out from her enemy. She gained momentum until an opening presented itself. A few short strikes, and the mask came violently off the owl’s face. Another awful screech filled the blackness. The tamer took this distraction to overwhelm and take down her first opponent. The night's stillness returned as she climbed back up. Hoisting herself over the ridge, she stood and brushed herself off. Right as she was about to call for Nelius, the bushes rustled. With no familiar trace of energy, Ereollynda readied herself again. Three masked owls jumped from the underbrush, and a fierce battle commenced. Sparks of blade hitting blade briefly lit up the night. The tamer held her own, but couldn’t keep this level up much longer. A jagged wooden edge caught her arm, cutting through both fabric and skin. Ereollynda winced, but continued the fight with little choice. The little voice in the back of her mind began to coax her: 

Free it, and you win. Before she could weigh the option, Nelius burst from the trees. His momentum carried him through two owls, and they all toppled into a nearby ditch. The tamer yelled for him as she watched, but refocused on the enemy ahead. She wasted no time, and darted straight for the creature’s mask. It took less moves this time. One on one, these owls weren’t much of a challenge. After ending their scuffle, she hurriedly made her way to the ditch where Nelius tussled with the other two masked owls. Ereollynda slid down and ran her knife into the enemy clawing at her heilang’s legs. She hissed again as the owls retreated. Nelius snarled ears twisting in all directions. Soon, masked owls lined the pit. A larger figure parted the small crowd and jumped down with a loud thud. A much bigger masked owl stood before the pair. It swung a large wooden axe as it screamed, encouraging the horde around them. Ereollynda looked around. Numbers like this, plus their weighty reinforcement, posed a problem, even with Nelius at her side. The beast charged with one heavy heave of its weapon. They dodged in different directions as the blow sent dirt and rumble in all directions. The heilang pounced, only to be tossed aside with a swift punch.

“No!” Ereollynda attacked, going for the creature’s ankle. The owl roared as the knife sliced, attention shifting to her. She questioned whether or not she could win. 

You can if you use it. Her inner voice called to her again. Without any control,however, she could hurt her heilang. 

“Nelius! Go!” She called, but could feel his resistance to her command. Ereollynda begg, but again only met his refusal. The massive masked owl encroached, swiping upward. The axe grazed her chest as she tried to jump back. Their margins for error continued to dwindle. Nelius stood again, prepared to mount another attack. Despite her calls to stop, the heilang advanced. This time, the owl missed its first swing, and Nelius landed a scratch across the bird’s white-feathered chest. The blow only seemed to anger the owl, and it landed its second blow across his face, sending him back to the dirt. Ereollynda attempted an attack from behind, jumping, intending to plunge her blade into the masked owl’s back. Instead, she was smacked from the air, and found herself in the dirt, dazed from hitting the ditch’s rocky wall. Suddenly, a feathery taloned hand gripped her neck. She struggled, being raised from the rubble, and shown to the surrounding mob. She could assume their noises were cheers while she contested, dangling in the air. She could see Nelius out of the corner of her eye; he grappled with masked owls sliding down and taking advantage of his compromised state. Her vision began to fade as the hand tightened its grip. Dread rose in her gut as she weighed two heavy options: Unleash her untamed power and risk turning on Nelius, or die right here in this masked owl’s chokehold.

Instead of the afterlife, Ereollynda remembered the ground underneath her. Raspy breaths reinflated her lungs. Barely conscious, she looked up. Lynne stood between her and the colossal masked owl. Its arm lay on the ground, severed cleanly at the wrist. Everything fell silent in shock of how quick the scene changed. The valkyrie took a vile from her waistband, drank it, and threw the empty glass away. When the creature bellowed at its disconnected limb, chaos ensued. The horde descended into the pit, weapons aimed for Lynne’s head. Her movements were unreadable to the naked eye. She weaved through opponents, and with a single slash, upended a few at a time. Their giant leader didn’t take kindly to the destruction. It charged, but not at her, at Ereollynda, laying unconscious. Nelius staggered forward, and stood as intimidating as possible to the blitz. Its axe came down, but sank into Lynne’s flesh as she sprang ahead. She gave a distressed sound, but didn’t lose composure. In another swift move, she relieved the owl of its hand clutched around the axe. The bird staggered back with another ungodly shriek. Lynne removed the heavy weapon from her shoulder, and promptly silenced the unbearable noise. The masked owl’s head rolled from its body, which fell to its knees, then to the side. Seeing their greatest ally defeated, the smaller owls began to scurry away in distress. The valkyrie finished off the stragglers still looking for a fight, until no one remained. The night’s tranquility soon resettled. Finally, Lynne slumped with a sigh. She held her injured shoulder and began to concentrate. As her breathing slowed, so did the dribbling blood. With one long breath, she stood. Ereollynda remained passed out, Nelius curled around her, refusing to leave.

“It’s alright, Nelius. You’ve done well,” Lynne’s voice had the heilang raise his head. Together, they hoisted Ereollynda onto his back, carefully climbed out of the pit, and headed toward Olvia.

Morning glowed just barely on the horizon. Last night’s activities finally waned, and much of the town now slept. Axel had worked a miraculous feat: Old man Welcker was going to live. After three and a half hours of work, the beloved elderly neighbor lay in her back room, stitched up and sedated. Only after the enormous excitement did Axel realize Ereollynda’s absence. The hours ticked away, only raising her anxiety. Lynne typically didn’t take this long to deter an over-populated mob, but with Ereollynda gone, she didn’t know what to think. The healer finally fell asleep in a chair at the front window. Her ears fluttered at the wound of footsteps. She opened her eyes. Nelius and Lynne limped their way to Axel’s shop in the budding daylight.

“My God! What happened!?” The healer had sprung from her resting spot and ran to them. 

“I’ll explain later. Make sure she’s okay,” Lynne said. The heilang gently lay down, revealing the unconscious Ereollynda. Although everyone returned bloodied and bruised, they returned nonetheless, and Axel could have some kind of relief.