Skirmish struggles.

Nuria made the formation push forward, if that meant having to deal with the griffin trying to pick them off from the formation, then they would just have to do their best to counter with their shields and spears. That's what the spears were for, after all. Keeping the enemy at bay. She kept flying high, spearing a few griffin of her own until she reached the top formation, and then she flew enven higher. She would not be swayed so easily from her path. When she was high enough, she began the downward curve to break through the first formation.

The griffons Nuria was facing head on were certainly not overly effective against spears given their weaponry aside from deftly grasping or deflecting some of the thrusts carefully with their reinforced gauntlets, but there were still enough bowmen to make up for some of the slack when her forces got a little too good at fending them off with either fire or steel.

Nuria herself would not go unseen, however. Several griffons would not only attempt to intercept her and anyone else trying to gain more height, but would dive-bomb right after them if they made their fast descent, some arrows swopping by as well to discourage agility as shrieks filled the skies.

Nuria finally broke the height she needed to start back down on the formations again, but she was being pursued by a group of griffin now. No matter, she was about to bring her wrath down upon them. She makes a hard turn, now about to lead the charge straight through the enemy formations, grabbing onto the first griffin that came within her grasp and stabbing them with her sword. She would then use their body as a shield as she barreled through each flight of the enemy.

The griffons were not foolish, as they had no intention of taking on Nuria's forces with only brute force while getting out of the way easily due to their relatively light gear from below to let her dive, still being relentlessly pursued from above and the sides. Any griffons she did get herself head on had either been injured or too busy losing track, something most were certainly not doing. Certainly not when their formations were such that they flew roughly above one another in rows, which also meant she was on a collision course with the middle formation... the formation that was forcing her own troops to overextend with their incessant taunts up close; The formation she would have to avoid considerably lest she collide with her own troops in such a rough maneuver.

From the lowest formation, some were beginning to take aim towards the large clumps of her forces coming down for that matter as they gathered spears as well from her fallen forces. Meanwhile, the remaining dragons were far from done fighting in their brutish ways, but even some of them could make out large clumps of her forces as well. This began to make them focus once more...

If the middle formation wanted to taunt her warriors into combat, then they would get more than they bargained for as they started to fly straight through the top and head towards them. Little by littler her warriors would break off from their flight path to assault one of the formations with dedication. She breathed fire to clear her way, any souls unfortunate enough to be caught in the way would be burned as she aimed to barrel through this formation as well.

With so much effort being put into the heavy charge, Nuria was still playing into the enemy's tactics despite some casualties from more injured griffons too slow to maneuver out of the way. This did little to deter the bulk of their forces though, constantly keeping a lookout for one another with certain troops within each height formation looking at the others to relay information as needed, doing their best to just tire her forces out and pick off any that over extended one by one.

The fact many of her forces kept focused on making a dive also left them vulnerable still from above as they were attacked from behind little by little by arrows from their bowmen, whose bolts flew faster than any of them ever could. This also meant some of her forces freefalling from injuries on top of one another along with some of their heavy sharpened shields and spears.

This was just one part of the enemy effort though, as now the lowest formations took aim... and fired the artillery upon the largest groupings of Nuria's forces without any interruptions as none were ever sent to halt them specifically or significantly. Meanwhile, some of the dragons would also focus on breathing fire to the larger formations as well. Injured they may get from smaller units, but their power far outweighed sheer numbers.

Nuria had already come this far, but her meat shield would only guard her from one side. She began to serpentine as soon as she saw the arrows begin to come from above. She hoped to the goddess that her warriors still followed. She was broke through the middle formation and was now on her way to the ground and an alarming speed, nothing but ballistae in front of her and bowman in the rear. She let go of the body and it tumbled away from her as she sped downwards. She readied her weapons and prepared herself for a fight as she neared the ground again.

Once the griffons down below saw that they were being charged at, they launched what few shots remained from the ballistae to try and weaken Nuria's collective charge, and soon abandoned them to brace themselves for battle, seeking to fly low under the majority of the dragons this time. They had also armed themselves with various spears and shields from fallen Kirin comrades like vultures... probably because several of them were part vulture as well. Her advance towards them would be met with many more arrows coming her way as well though, as there were more bowmen in the lower groups.

From above, many a griffon waiting for her forces to tire out with constant harassing; From below, a flurry of arrows and better armed griffons; From middle height, dragons having an easier time recovering now that they were being less pressured with the Kirins being busier with the fresh enemy troops as they re-initiated their tactics of longer range fire. Nuria, her commanders, and the rest of the troops would have to give it their all just to match their enemy as the battle dragged on.

Nuria flares her wings out painfully to slow herself and lands hard on the ground, breathing fire immediately at whatever enemy was nearest. Soon more kirin would land around her as well and start assaults of their own. They would assault as well, growling and roaring at their enemies to intimidate them as they swung hard with swords and thrusted with spears, bashed with shields and were generally ferocious in their attacks.

The assault in the sky was starting to become overwhelmed what with the griffon and dragon forces still left to deal with. But they reorganized themselves and started their tactics over, flanking and then swarming the dragons while they formed more defensives line for the mixed chaos of the layered griffin forces. Being sure to keep each as busy as possible.

The battle at this point became a desperate struggle for control on both sides. Dragons were being harassed to the point of defeat, but then those that weren't had no issues attacking their own just to get at the groups of Kirins around them; Their tactics as crude and cruel as ever.

Griffons were still keeping strict regarding their strategy, but it was hard for them to get many hits in without relying on their bowmen or just plain throwing their sickles at opportune times. There was also the effort that came with trying to distract the Kirins from the dragons every once in a while to let the larger beasts attack under less pressure.

As for Nuria herself, she and her forces would come under a fierce flurry of arrows from behind and above the stockier griffons they clashed with their confiscated gear who, unlike the ones they had been dealing with at their own borders, were far less cowardly, and if their reluctance to allow her to pass by them on the ground or step away was any indication, much more willing to fight head on once her flames had gone down. These were the ones who were more beast than bird, their shrieks sounding more like feral roars compared to their brethren higher up...

The battle was evenly matched at this point, with neither side gaining much headway over the other. Nuria was fighting hard, but she was starting to get overwhelmed with everything. One of her commanders made their way to her and informed her of the situation, and advised strongly for a strategic retreat. Nuria hated to admit it, but now was probably the time for such things. "Fall back!" She ordered. The kirin around her that would hear the order would start to gather around her, forming a defensive line while shielding from the arrows above.

They would gather and start backing away from the fight, slowly the remainder of the army would return to their queen. Once everyone was together, they would turn and retreat from the battle, a loss, to be sure, but provided they did not give chase, they would more than likely live to fight another day after licking their wounds.

With the retreat happening, Nuria's forces were certainly not going to be allowed to leave so easily once they turned their backs on their foes as they kept attacking. Fortunately, there was one safety net for them that came in the form of a light suddenly appearing near her, and a massive burst of Mana sprung forth from the ground up as thousands of needle-like projectiles of light cut, stung, and pierced the bodies of the griffons closest to her forces and force them to stay back or keep getting barraged by the harsh wall a certain stallion had made while struggling to keep up with Nuria as he galloped in very banged up armor, and whose horn lit up very brightly. "Hey! Heeyy!! Can I at least get a ride back while I keep the spell up!? I can't fly and keep them all at bay for long!!" Market's voice was vigorous, but hoarse. He had certainly been pushing himself just to survive being left to fight dragons since he was last seen.

Nuria looked down to see the mercenary, whom she had nearly forgotten, running below them and trying to escape. She pointed down to him and promptly, two kirin swooped down to scoop the unicorn up, saving him from the battlefield. From there, they continued to flee until they would eventually reach a resting place.

With Market taken along for the ride, he was able to discourage the fighting from continuing by preventing pursuit since both sides could just as easily lose to the other as it was.

By the time all had returned to a safe location, Market was looking rather worn. Powerful as he was, even he could only do so much against so many dragons by himself. The barrier of needles was just him burning out what he could at the end. He would be found removing his armor slowly and tending to his wounds one by one.

As for the rest of Nuria's forces, it was a blow to their pride that they could not continue to push as intended. The fate of the captives was sealed, and her forces had suffered notable losses while the enemy's strength remained unconfirmed. It was all the uncertainty that left them anxious and shaken.

Nuria stands in the war tent, looking over the summary of the battle. She didn't need to read it, she already knew what had happened. And she sent for her commanders, or the ones that survived anyway. She had a few words, and possibly something a bit sharper to share with them about the result of the battle. She didn't even want to think about the prisoners she had failed. But she was also done crying over losses. She had come to expect them at this point.

With his wounds treated, and his equipment stored away, a bandaged Market would eventually walk slowly into Nuria's tent to meet with her and see how she was doing in the still early morning night. Just by looking at her, he had a good idea of what might've been going through her head. He decided not to touch on the issue and just stand on the opposite end of wherever she stood by and stared right at her eyes. "... Ma'am, I advice you go get cleaned up if you're not tired at least. No need to bear the burden of your foe's blood."

"Later, mercenary." Nuria stated as her commanders walked in. There were two fewer than she had gone into the engagement with. Likely both dead. She looks at them all, obvious anger present on her face. She steps forward, standing formally in front of them and asks a simple question. "What... Happened..."

Market merely let out a quiet sigh as he stepped back to make way for the Commanders, who upon being faced with their leader and her question, seemed to hesitate briefly on how to answer. After a brief moment of silence, one spoke. "Your highness! T-Their tactics and brute strength matched us too well, and it was difficult to advance further, plus we lost many of our siege weapons and soldiers. Not to menti-..."

By then, he was cut off by the female Kirin next to him. "We failed, and were forced to retreat. We need to improve..." Afterwards, both remained very silent. In fact, the whole room seemed to go silent as both truths have been laid out in different ways. The harsh reality was that things were not in their favor.

Nuria's expression didn't change. She knew what she had to do now. It was time for new some new leadership in her army. She approached the commander that had been making excuses and delivered a swift and sudden kick that sent him out the entrance of the tent. She growled and looked at the others. "Find someone to replace him and the fallen commanders." She orders. "I suggest that if any of you feel any doubt in your abilities, then you had better replace yourselves as well." She motioned for them to leave, and would have them return when she was properly cleaned and had something to eat.

After another brief pause, everyone in the room scattered immediately to address her orders. Meanwhile, Market sighed once again and stayed with Nuria a bit longer. "... I'm going to pretend to understand your way of discipline, so I'll just get to my end of things... Do I remain on stand-by, or have you decided to follow my advice after all?" It was his way of saying if he should remain close by or not while she looked after herself.

Nuria looked at Sugary and huffed. "You're dismissed..." She said, leaving the tent as well to go and tend to herself. It wouldn't do to leave blood to rot on her. She needed to get cleaned and clear her head. There were so many things that needed to be done now. And this defeat was a costly one. She remained in her quarters until she was ready to meet with the commanders again. She would address them and come up with a new strategy after assessing their losses.

"Very well." Market nodded and soon made his way out as well to leave her be for the time being, hopeful she'd actually look after herself.

Some time later, once all of Nuria's Commanders -old and brand new- had gathered to meet again, further discussion of the events from various points of view regarding what did and didn't work so far. She would also find that Market would be brewing some tea in a kettle nearby, looking between her way and a small cup bowl as if intended to give it to her. The aroma was strong and bittersweet with emphasis on bitter, so much so it might just pep someone from breathing it up close.

Nuria takes the tea offered and gives it a sip. She then turns to her commanders, a few surprisingly new faces. At least one of them replaced a face that she had seen only a moment ago. "Today's loss cannot happen a second time." She stated to them. "What are our losses?" She asks, beckoning them to report in turn.

As pleased as Market was regarding the acceptance of revitalizing tea on Nuria's part, it was hard to keep optimistic when everyone gave in their reports regarding the losses so far. Much of the main supplies were still available, but the harsh truth was that now it was easier to supply the surviving troops due to casualties in the tough battles; Some gear was also lost due to the fact there weren't as many to return equipped with. The advance and siege weapons were lost to be sure in the last battle as a hasty retreat was next to impossible with them in tow, so they would have to be replaced in full. One more thing on everyone's mind, though none would mention it and few would admit to it anyway, was that Morale on the front was low.

Nuria took in a deep breath as she listened to the reports. The losses were great. Especially that of her warriors and the artillery. They had a right to be demoralized, but it wasn't what they needed right now. "Are there any suggestions among you?" She asks. Even now she was still thinking of different tactics that could be used to assault the griffon and dragon forces respectfully. She didn't want to stop the momentum. She wanted to push forward. She wanted to beat the enemy into the ground to use as stepping stones.