The crash of waterfalls was all around them, mixing darkly with the sound of clashing bodies, shifting metal, and clicking bones. As the lands were painted in the blood of the sunset, war was truly in the air. Every particle around the Dauntless seemed to vibrate with the high intensity of battle he was so familiar with, and in this moment, thrived on. Archibald was a warrior down to his very core, his skill set implanted into his life from the day he dropped from his mother’s womb tangled in the gangly legs of his twin, refined and honed from each passing day since. As vile and insane as Mandrake had been, she had never been a fool. She trained her sons well, crafted them to be the top of each class they naturally leaned toward. Among the string of stallions that roamed this earth claiming Mandrake as their mother, Archibald was her greatest accomplishment. He was a known warlord across this land, his name revered on the battlefield. Today, he did not need to prove his worth with his fundamental battle prowess. No—today was not about him. It was about his herd, about the lives he swore to protect when he entered into the World’s Edge just before their broken glass wall. The confines of their home were no longer able to protect them from the malicious hand of the Moon Goddess, and so Archibald and his fellow monarchs marched to war and dove into the throes of battle.

A pulsing, short wave of pleasure trickled down Archibald’s spine when his golden eyes watched Ghost falter, caught off guard by their sudden and demanding assault. His teeth grabbed on the bottom of her stomach as she flailed, her wings desperately reaching for air. Loretta’s teeth—so much more so able to cause damage than her equine bondmate’s—scraped along the other side of the mare’s belly. A savage, sickening snarl left Loretta’s maw as her paws hit the earth again, legs spread wide and balance low. A wall of frustration stopped both the behemoth and his bitch in their tracks. The king ground his teeth together as he planted his hooves, snorting haughtily beneath his wolfhelm. However, it was for good measure that they were stopped in their charge, for beneath padded paws and shod hooves, a sheet of clear ice lay out on the once loamy ground. Loretta lurched forward, however, slipping on the ice and falling to her side. The bitch yipped in surprise, and Archibald reacted. Angrily, the beast shot his nose down and grasped his earth amulet between his teeth. The Dauntless did not know the true potential of the magical item, but it was his only hope of thwarting the ice. Crashing down in his armor had the potential to sever his body, leave him a crippled, retired warrior and king. He would rather die a thousand deaths than be caged inside of a useless body. Throwing it down on the ground, Archibald watched as it shattered and absorbed the ice around him.

The Czarina took for the sky and spat down words Archibald had once said to her back in his face. The warlord did not react verbally, but his jaw set. This was not the time or place to justify his actions, but the situation of this world had changed. To keep peace and protection, for Archibald, there sometimes needed to be a blood sacrifice. The Hidden Falls, small, defenseless and all the while continuing to be volatile, was the sacrifice in this day. Golden eyes flicked up to find Ghost, only to see her flying toward Romani. A sudden anger, fresh and raw, consumed his heart like a forest fire. In the battalion Archibald had heralded to his battle, Romani was his most loyal warrior. “COWARD!” Archibald screamed, his voice ripping into the air like thunder.

Bring her down Loretta called, scrambling to her feet and sprinting toward the Czarina. The dog called upon her magic, and spirals of time-slipping potential raced invisibly toward Ghost, hoping to pull her into childhood. Archibald followed, his body slower from the armor that covered his frame, but his anger pushed him onward. The Dauntless sent his own magical assault, willing the power of the earth in hopes to transform the pegasus’ bones to stone and send her crashing to the earth. Veering off some to the left, the king lowered his head, and turned his neck. He attempted to point the spikes that lined down his metal-clad neck toward where he hoped Ghost would fall from the sky. Archibald hoped to slice the left side of her body from tail to nose. Loretta, with claws digging into the moist soil, maneuvered to the right, amber eyes sparkling with bloodlust.






[WC: 796/800, according to Microsoft Word

PC: 1/3

Archibald used his Earth Amulet to absorb Ghost's ice magic.

Archibald Magic :: [Magic: Earth (U) | The ability to turn another's bones to stone, causing immobilization or slower movement. Restrictions | Bones are turned to actual stone; the effects will wear off gradually. In battle, attack lasts for 50 seconds. Can only be used once in a post.]

Loretta Magic :: Time slip: another, making them think they are a young child for 30 seconds ]

Armor Reference]