Beneath the Surface

Divine continued to leap through the forest, her leg tingling where the blade had bitten through her armour.

"No, sir." Both soldiers say immediately and in unison.

However, the forest continues to be silent, not a single changeling emerging from within. Then, with a crackle, the fire spreads to the front few trees, obscuring the rest of the forest from sight.

---

As Divine leaps through the forest, she hears the snarls of a group of changelings from behind her. A blade slashes through the air, towards her slightly-injured hind leg.

She turns, attacking them as they close in on her.

Her sword clashes with another. Divine comes face-to-face with no less than ten changelings, angrily wielding their magic swords as they attacked.

She growls and continues to attack with blindingly fast strokes.

The front two are quickly cut down, unable to bring their swords about quickly enough to counter Divine's offensive. The next two, however, advance quickly, bringing their blades around to slash at both sides of Divine's torso.

She blocks their strikes, quickly countering them.

One changeling is cut down, its head rolling in the dirt of the forest. The other parries her blow quickly, thrusting its sword forward at Divine's chest.

She jumps back and retaliates, striking for his chest.

The sword just manages to nick the changeling's chest at it jumps back, pushing it off balance and sending it tumbling into the two behind him. However, another one steps in from beside Divine, hacking and slashing wildly.

She moves to the side, attacking them blindingly quickly, her sword like quicksilver.

The changeling attacking her drops to the ground, severed down the middle. Another two fall before her blade, but four more still remain.

One of them ducks in close, under her sword, and prepares to stab her in the face, while another uses its wings to give it an airborne boost, coming down on her from above.

She blanches and leaps back, her sword darting out at the ground attacker.

Divine's strike almost manages to take its head off, but with a hasty parry it scrambles back.

The attacker from the skies lands on empty ground where Divine had once stood, swinging its sword and growling angrily.

She deflects it and lauches into attacks again.

This changeling seems more apt with its sword than the others. It deflects the first three of Divine's blows, then leaps back and sends a beam of arcane energy at her.

She dodges it and lungs at him again.

It resumes its series of parries and blows, but never once trying to actually hit Divine.

Suddenly, the other three changelings leap forward, engaging Divine all at once as the first hangs back.

Swearing, she engages them, pushing one into a burning tree before attacking the other two.

The one changeling flies into the fire and is engulfed in a raging storm of red.

The other two work in unison, one parrying Divine's blow while the other brings a long sideward slash around to her flank.

Divine returns his blow as she slides past it, blade aimed for his chest.

Divine manages to spear the changeling through the chest, but not before the other leaps in with a downward slash aimed squarely at her head.

In the meantime, the other changeling from earlier approaches Divine from behind, swinging its sword in tandem with its comrade's.

She side-steps, letting go of her blade to meet the downward slash with a hoof, before rolling forward, and ripping the blade from the changeling's chest.

The changeling in front of her backs away, bringing its sword around in a parrying stance, prepared for Divine's next blow. The one behind her brings its sword to bear, attempting a straightforward thrust.

Ician, in the meantime, stands outside the forest. "Okay, I think that's the last of the bolts. Divine's distracted them." He puts his hoof on Ruby's shoulder. "Let's go and help her, shall we?"

Griff sits down on the sand, waiting to see if the two shield mages will do anything or suggest anything.