Rugiel's gaze flicked down the darkened tunnel toward where Stronric held his ground. She exchanged a weary look with Armand as they stood waiting. The stillness in the air was almost unsettling. There was no clash of steel, no guttural cries of battle, only silence. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she imagined the scene: Stronric, seated nonchalantly atop a grisly mound of corpses, his axe resting casually across his knees. It wouldn't be the first time they'd stumbled upon him in such a tableau, his calm juxtaposed against the carnage he'd wrought.

Shaking her head at refocused and gripped her warhammer tighter. As if signaled by her casual thoughts, the sound of battle broke out on the other side of the cave entrance. She sprinted after Armand who took off towards the noise first, signaling for her to follow. The rhythmic clang of steel and guttural shouts echoed through the tunnel growing louder with every step and quickening her pace.

As Rugiel and Armand drew closer to the battle they slowed their pace to assess the clash at the cave entrance. The whirlwind of chaos broke out before them, but they circled as silently as they could around the frenzy. They were looking for a better position to flank their enemies, giving them the advantage to break the enemies.

At the heart of the battlefield, Giles stood like a beacon of authority, his polished silver plate armor gleaming even in the dim light. The gold trim on his armor caught faint reflections of his glowing arming sword, an heirloom passed down from his father. With a roar, Giles surged forward, his shield slamming into a gnoll and sending it sprawling. His sword followed, cutting through the creature's exposed chest in one fluid motion.

"'Old your ground" Giles commanded, his voice carrying over the din of battle. The aura around him seemed to pulse, a subtle golden glow extending to the others. Their movements sharpened, strikes landing with more precision and force.

Dane fought just ahead of Giles, his rusted and mismatched plate armor was a stark contrast to the gleaming silver. His massive gauntlet, battered but reliable, swung in wide arcs, smashing gnolls aside like dolls. One gnoll lunged at him, but Dane intercepted it with a thunderous punch, the gauntlet caving in its skull. "You talk too much, Giles!" Dane shouted, glancing back briefly. "Less orders, more killing!"

Giles smirked, raising his shield to deflect a gnoll's blade. "Et you need to listen more, Dane. Per'aps zen you'd stop getting 'it so often."

Seren, standing a short distance behind Giles, was a calm presence amid the chaos. Her staff glowed with golden light as she raised it high, intoning a steady prayer. "The sun's blessing be upon you," she called, the warmth of her magic washed over the group. The cuts and bruises they'd sustained began to fade as the light closed their wounds. "Do not falter; Solista's light will see us through."

A gnoll broke through the defensive line, charging toward Seren with its weapon raised. Frost suddenly encased its legs, freezing it mid-step. Kara, her expression cold and composed, strode forward, her hand trailing ice. "Keep your focus, cleric," she said, flicking her wrist. The frozen gnoll shattered into pieces, a trail of frost lingering where it had stood. "I'll handle the distractions."

"If you all had just listened to me," Lirian snapped as he emerged from the shadows, striking out at a gnoll with a sharp, precise slash, "we wouldn't be drowning in gnolls right now!" His movements were fluid yet laced with tension, frustration bleeding through his usually controlled demeanor. He slipped behind another gnoll, his twin daggers flashing like fangs in the dim light. The creature fell without a sound, its throat cleanly slit. Lirian's sharp green eyes locked onto Kara, his voice cutting like his blades. "You gave away my position for what? To kill two of them? Was that worth throwing off the entire plan?"

Kara turned to him, her frost-laden hand snapping out to encase a nearby gnoll's legs in ice before shattering it with a casual flick of her wrist. Her lips curled into a cold smirk. "Two kills is still two more than you could manage while sulking in the shadows. Maybe if your 'plan' wasn't so fragile, it wouldn't fall apart at the first sign of action."

Lirian's eyes narrowed, his grip on his daggers tightening. "You're reckless. Every time you make a move, you think about yourself first, and we pay the price for it."

"And yet here you are," Kara shot back, her voice sharp and venomous, "alive because I froze the gnoll about to rip your spine out. Or did you forget that while you were busy whining about your 'position'?"

Before Lirian could respond, Giles stepped in, his silver armor catching the dim light as his sword slashed through a gnoll with brutal precision. "Enough," he barked, his tone cutting through their argument like steel. He drove his shield into another attacker, sending it stumbling back before finishing it with a calculated thrust of his blade. "I do not care who is right or wrong. All zat matters is ze results. And right now, I see gnolls still brea'zing while ze two of you argue like children."

His golden-trimmed armor gleamed as he turned to Lirian, his gaze condescending. "You are ze scout, no? Act like one. If ze plan falls apart and you cannot adapt, zen maybe you are not as skilled as you zink you are."

Then, to Kara, he added with a sneer, "And you, Frostbite. Perhaps instead of showing off, you zink ahead. Freezing everyzing in sight does not solve all ze problems."

Kara gave him a cold glare but said nothing, her frost-coated fingers flexing as if considering whether to turn her magic on him. Instead, she hissed, "At least I'm not hiding behind a shield while everyone else does the real work."

Giles let out a dark chuckle, his sword sweeping out to decapitate a charging gnoll. "Hiding? Non, I am leading. Per'aps you try it sometime, eh? Or maybe not—leadership is for people who know what zey are doing."

The tension hung thick between them, the gnolls momentarily forgotten as their disdain for one another filled the air. Rugiel observed the scene from a distance, her warhammer resting lightly in her hand. She shook her head with a sigh, her tone measured and composed. "This lot will tear each other apart long before the gnolls have the chance. It is... almost pitiable."

Beside her, Armand shook his head, muttering under his breath in his thick accent. Though the words were inaudible, the tone was unmistakable and Rugiel assumed they were a string of colorful curses. She offered him a graceful pat on the shoulder as she rose, the motion deliberate and poised.

Before she could step away, Armand's hand gripped her shoulder firmly, keeping her in place. "Non," he said, his brow furrowing as he gestured toward the group. "I want to see if zey can pull zis off. Zey must 'ave some redeeming quality, or I am a complete failure as Gile's mentor."

Rugiel tilted her head slightly, studying him with a mix of amusement and skepticism. "A curious sentiment, Sir Armand," she replied, her tone neutral as if not to offend Armand. "Though, I confess, I find your faith in them surprising. Surely, you have noticed their utter lack of cohesion?"

Armand huffed, crossing his arms as his gaze returned to the group. "Zey are flawed, yes. But ze sparks of potential are zere, buried beneath ze arrogance and ze fighting."

Rugiel inclined her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "How noble of you to see light in such shadows," she said, her words polite but tinged with subtle doubt. "I do hope your faith is not misplaced."

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The humans pressed on, but their movements were becoming increasingly disjointed as gnolls began to circle them. Dane swung his gauntlet with brute force, clearing a path ahead, but the tension between the group was palpable, each member moving with self-interest rather than coordination.

The ground beneath Dane's feet slickened with blood, and his footing wavered. With a sharp grunt, he slipped, his massive frame tilting dangerously. Instinctively, he reached out for support, his hand grasping Seren's leg.

Seren froze, her face twisting in outrage as if she'd been struck. "How dare you!" she shrieked, her voice cutting above the din of battle. "A filthy lowborn like you touching me?!" Without a moment's hesitation, she drove her foot into the back of Dane's head, her heel striking hard.

The blow sent Dane stumbling forward, his body crashing into the open. The gnolls, sensing an opportunity, surged toward him with a frenzied roar.

Kara doubled over, her laugh cold and sharp as ice. "Oh, that is priceless," she sneered, her frosty breath swirling in the air. "The great Dane brought low by his own incompetence. Truly pathetic."

Beside her, Giles let out a derisive chuckle, casually batting away a gnoll's attack with his shield. "Well, at least 'e's good for a distraction, eh? Give ze beasts something to chew on."

Lirian, however, darted forward, his daggers flashing as he struck down two gnolls that had closed in on Dane. "You lot can keep laughing, but we'll all die if you keep standing there doing nothing!" he snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. He crouched next to Dane, pulling him back toward safety. "Get up, Dane, before you really end up as bait!"

The chaos of the moment was broken by a booming voice. "E-nough!" Armand's shout echoed through the cavern, drawing both the humans and the gnolls' attention. The knight stormed forward, his greatsword carving through the nearest gnoll in a single fluid motion. "You fools! You squabble like children while ze beasts close in! Are you so blind zat you do not see ze danger right in front of your noses?"

Rugiel followed close behind, her warhammer glowing with Morgal's blue flames. Her strikes were precise, each swing crushing a gnoll and sending the others scattering. Rugiel charged forward and slammed her hammer into the back of gnoll about to pounce on Lirian.

Giles smirked, raising his blade. "Oh, look, ze cavalry 'as arrived. Perhaps zey can teach us 'ow to play nicely?"

Armand turned on him, his eyes blazing with fury. "Mock all you want, Giles, but if zis continues, your arrogance will get everyone killed. Perhaps you should lead by example, assuming you know what zat means."

Rugiel gave Armand a small, approving nod before stepping into the fray once more. With their combined might, the gnolls began to falter, their ranks thinning under the relentless assault. None of the creatures were allowed to flee deeper into the cave as Rugiel and Armand pressed forward, trapping the remaining gnolls. Forced into a desperate stand, the gnolls fought with renewed frenzy, their claws and weapons swinging wildly.

The group of humans slowly broke apart as each cared only for the kill before them and not for protecting the weakside and backs of the others. Rugiel's hammer reverberated in her hands as it smashed though the skull a another gnoll. A piercing scream cut through the cavern. Rugiel turned just in time to see a gnoll's blade slice across Kara's face. Giles, who was guarding the parties rear, was a few feet away charging a small group of gnolls. The gnoll raised its weapon for a killing blow, but Rugiel charged forward without hesitation. Her warhammer struck the creature's side, knocking it off its feet. Gripping the weapon in both hands, she lifted it high over her head and brought it crashing down, the heavy head crushing the gnoll's skull with a sickening crunch.

"Kara!" Rugiel called, rushing to the fallen ice mage. She dropped to her knees and gently rolled Kara onto her back. A long jagged gash ran diagonally from above Kara's left eye to below her lower lip, blood pouring freely from the wound. Rugiel relaxed a fraction as she saw that the wound, although ugly and bleeding profusely, was not a threat to the mage's life. The sound of battle still raged and Rugiel's gaze darted around as she exchanged the mages face with her Warhammer.

Just as Rugiel turned to call Seren to help, her sharp eyes caught movement. A hulking gnoll broke off its fight with Giles sensing the weaker pray and charged straight toward Rugiel and Kara. Rugiel rose to a knee and raised her warhammer to block the oncoming strike. The gnoll bore down on her, snarling, but before it could swing its weapon, it jerked suddenly and let out a strangled cry.

Lirian clung to the great beast's back, his dagger buried hilt-deep into the gnoll's neck. Blood spurted from the wound as Lirian twisted the blade for good measure, his face set in grim determination. The gnoll staggered and collapsed forward, its body convulsing briefly before going still.

"You're welcome," Lirian muttered, pulling his blade free and wiping it on the gnoll's fur. He glanced at Rugiel, his tone sharp. "Watch your back next time."

Rugiel gave a curt nod, her focus returning to Kara. "Help hold the line," she said firmly, her voice calm but commanding. "I'll tend to her."

"Get off me, you filthy vermin!" Kara croaked, her voice strained as she writhed on the ground. "Seren, help me, please!"

Seren knelt beside Kara, muttering a quiet prayer under her breath as golden light flickered from her hands, closing the worst of Kara's wounds. Rugiel wasn't shocked, she had grown up around this kind of self-centered chaos her entire life. With a measured sigh, she stepped back into the defensive line. The fighting had nearly stopped, and her sharp eyes scanned the scene.

Dane lay sprawled on his back, unmoving except for shallow breaths. Kara was still being tended to by Seren. Lirian stood to the side and stared off into the distance Giles laughed as he walked back toward the wounded mage and the cleric healing her. "Perhaps this will teach you to have more of a personality than a pretty face Kara."

Rugiel bristled and looked away, hating being trapped with this insufferable group and missing the sense of security of her own. Rugiel's brows came together in question when Lirian began to shake with fear. She watched as the overly confident rogue stumbled backwards falling over a dead gnoll backwards falling over a dead gnoll. Rugiel then felt felt what caused Lirian to flee in such a way. An aura like Stronric's flooded the cavern. Instead of bringing hope and stegnth, this aura dripped with blood and violence. Rugiel felt like prey as an apex predator stalked behind her.

Lirian scrambled backwards still on the ground and whispered a word that stroked the fear in Rugiel heart. "Carcharodon."

With every step Armand made Rugiel's body and mind screamed for her to run and and flee. As she frantically looked between the others she saw Giles. His face was pale with terror as he stared at Armand. Drenched in blood from head to toe, Armand's faded armor had turned a macabre red, save for the scarlet rose on his chest, which seemed to gleam brighter. The rose pulsed slightly as though drinking in the blood dripping around it. He cut down the last of the fleeing gnolls with a single, merciless swing of his greatsword, his march unrelenting as he closed in on Giles.

Giles tried to sheath his sword hurriedly, raising a placating hand toward Armand. "Armand, calm yourzelf, mon ami," he stammered, his voice shaking.

But Armand ignored him, his jaw clenched with barely restrained fury. In a single motion, his gauntleted fist lashed out, sending Giles sprawling to the ground. Rugiel blinked, momentarily stunned by the sight. Armand had struck the Baron's son.

Armand loomed over Giles, trembling with rage. "You stupid boy!" he bellowed, his words thick with venom. "Zis is not a game! You could 'ave cost ze lives of ze men you lead, and of my friends! Your ignorance 'as grown beyond what should ever be allowed for such a weak, pathetic child. You do not lead, you do not protect, and you can't even 'old your position."

Giles, his face frozen in shock, attempted to push himself up, but Armand's aura poured out again, silencing him. "'Alf of your team lies wounded, and yet you find ze time to make jokes? You are not'ing more zan a stain upon your family name! Now, if you do not get up and do your job, so 'elp me, I will end all of you 'ere and now! Ze days of me allowing you to act ze fool are over."

Armand leaned closer, his bloodied face mere inches from Giles's. Blood dripped from his hair onto Giles's stunned expression as Armand's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "When you meet Thane Stronric down ze cave, ze words 'my lord' better be on your tongue, or I will personally tear out yours. Do you understand me?"

Giles nodded, his lips trembling.

"Say ze words," Armand demanded coldly.

"Y-yes, Armand," Giles stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Armand's glare hardened. "Knight Lord Armand."

"Yes, Knight Lord Armand," Giles managed, his voice breaking as he spoke.

"Good. Now get out of my sight," Armand spat, his bloody aura disappearing, he turned away without a second glance.

Rugiel, having watched the exchange in silence, stepped forward. She placed a gentle on Armand shoulder. "Are you okay Armand?"

Without another word, Armand turned from her. His steps heavy and deliberate as he disappeared down the blood-slicked passage. Rugiel bowed her head as Gile's group picked each other up and slowly followed the knight, leaving Giles to gather what remained of his shattered pride.

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