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"I don't feel the need to give a war cry, seeing as I am not war?" Aeron slashed again, his face forever stoic as he felt a sickening crunch of sword against skin, a small amount of satisfaction as the hunters face paled at the blood loss and realization that they would not let any of them live.

Shaheen made a perfect example by tearing one apart in her lioness for, Aeron mused, stepping back for the war executioner to finalize the death of this one.

"I am Aeron of the death clans..." He turned to Jay, "A guardian of our priestesses. I did not catch the name of you and your fellow war mates."

Hunter 1: 3/25
Aeron: 25/40
Damage: 5
Charge: 3/3

Her cheeks puffed out blatantly as her wings flared out with puerile agitation. It didn’t matter how many human lives Jay had managed to outlive. To many clansmen, she was still young in both physical and mental age. Perhaps that part of her would always remain no matter how many centuries passed. “At least do it while you’re killing them,” she huffed indignantly. Sea green eyes narrowed to slits as she enviously watched the elder morph into her other form. Jay herself would only ever be a slender jackal, likely one of the smallest amongst all of the mounts. Something so tiny and thin could hardly be intimidating, and she hated that.

Nothing slipped past her mouth, sewn tight as she forced her gaze away from her fellow clansman. “Death, well of course I knew that,” she said, slipping into a childish tone. “And my name is Jay, thank you very much.”

“Funny, I thought we all lived for this.” She resisted the urge to cross her arms, but the pout was strewn clear across her face even as she stumbled out of the hunter’s range of attack. “Um, why pick one when you can have both?” The warrior shot Shikoba an incredulous look before reaching out to harshly tug at the hunter’s long hair. “The more the merrier.”

HP: 25
Damage: 0 + 2 (distortion crystal yw)
Hunter #3: 18

When more hunters arrive, her first instinct was to reach for her dagger and stab them too, but the splashes of grey befuddled her. Her mind associated them with bright white, so why were these donning grey? What confused her even more was when the grey hunters attacked the white, and another fight altogether ensued, but it wasn’t much of her business now. Humans were silly like that—fighting each other with their constant internal conflict and differing views.

The priestess heard no protests from the blue-haired warrior when she called to them. She spun around on her heels to follow, but stopped when she realized they were back in the tent. No matter how many times it happened, Jay could never see it coming even when her ears rang loudly. As Medea spoke, she nodded in silent agreement, giggles threatening to escape before shifting her attention to the cloth. Eyes grew wide as she stared at the red fragment. The glow appealed to her magpie senses, but there was something even more alluring than that. She grinned widely.

“Of course I can. Why wouldn’t I?”

The lioness continued to sit and clean off her paws, light growl her only response to the introductions as she shot each of her fellow clansmen a look that could have only meant aren't any of you finished yet? She was itching to join in, but at the same time, she was hesitant to steal the spilling of human blood, or possibly a kill, from anybody else. There had been three hunters for four horsemen, and Shaheen would not be more greedy then was necessary.

But then there were more human voices, noises approaching that indicated that back up had arrived, and she rose up onto four paws once more, stretching, her tail curling up in the air before swishing back and forth, and she turned to face the new challengers with an open grin full of viciously sharp teeth.

The new humans appearance was different, however, and this startled her at least enough to give her pause, and that pause was enough for her to see these new coats taking on the white coats, battling among themselves. It was chaotic, and beautiful in it's way, to witness such brutal conflict, even if the urge was still strong to sink her teeth into some more human flesh. It was discord, pure and simple, and wasn't that really what war was all about?

Medea's voice was what halted her before she could join in, and she turned towards the woman, before a ringing in her ears indicated that a change in scenery was to come. The lioness barely blinked, having gotten so used to being transported in such a way. In the tent, she sat back down, and with a golden shimmer in the lioness's place was once again, a woman, this one with blood still drying under her nails despite her attempts at cleaning it off.

Straightening up from her crouched position, she directed her attention to the death man in their midst. "Shaheen, Elder Chieftain." She didn't bother to tack on the of war part, since he would have had to have been stupid not to figure that out for himself. Now that she could actually say her name without growling, and her little introduction was done, she took some few light steps closer to Medea, leaning down to gaze at the shard when it was revealed, her eyes narrowing, and her head cocking to the side.

"So this is what all the fuss is about?" She murmured, gaze flicking towards Shik before going back to the crystal, and then to Medea. "I hear her." The call was there, the voice of destruction, oh so enticing. "But I also question how wise it might be to heed her call." Her gaze flicked back to the shard, and a hand raised, as though to reach out and touch it.

Then fingers curled back and she straightened.

"How many more do you require?"

Medea snapped back her hand away from Shik, moving to wrap a strange necklace around it and tie it to the growing assortment of baubles just hanging over her pyre. "More, many more are needed. One will be enough for now to tide us in her favour. I will consult with her tonight, there is a cage that is troublesome, but even the first seals have become undone." The answer was cryptic to a question they didn't even ask.

"Jay, was it?" The Head Priestess flicked her wrist forward. "Step forward, there is only one more task for you to accomplish."

Medea held out her hand, and enclosed within it was a black mass of worms, writhing at different angles. It made strange noises, a hungry squealing, squelching noise, as occasionally eyes, human and creature shaped, would flicker open and closed at random intervals.

"Shhhhh," the former Head Priestess whispered gently to it and the shrill shrieking decreased, just slightly, "This, this creation, requires a living host. A perfect embodiment of Fear, of course. You have been chosen by it, to carry it within you, and let it consume you. It is a great purpose to serve, a vessel to something greater to be born."

Medea smiled, but it didn't seem quite as comforting. "Your obedience will be remembered, may you one day become a legacy of your own."

She opened both her cupped hands and used one free hand to pull Jay's arm closer. "Do not worry," she was comforting the thing in her hand, and not Jay, "it'll be fine. You'll be ready soon."

Slowly, odd piece by piece, the black substance lurched forward, developing spindly ligaments as it dropped out of Medea's hand-

- There was a terrible shriek as it unfurled all its many appendages at once, stretching up, out, far, far out, until it covered Jay's entire arm in a thick colourless black. Just the arm, tendrils of the same colour just overlapping over her shoulder.

"A small sacrifice for now." Medea dug her fingers into Jay's arm, and suddenly the War horsemen's arm distorted, becoming a shadowy mass abject of form, eyes, hundreds, thousands of eyes blinking at different intervals opening all at once as a terrible shriek emitted-

The Head Priestess let go - "But it is enough. As it grows it will protect you. When it is fully functional, I shall remove it, and the process will be, thankfully, painless. It is weak now, the best nourishment is an active Fear. The temporary bond will serve you well, a shield against the Insanity which it consumes. Those with the stigma that near you will find their Insanity silenced. It's purpose is that of severance and once it develops its full form, one of our many problems will be, for the most part, concluded."

Medea oddly, gently stroked Jay's palm. "Do not lose sight of yourself until then." Behind them as the portal. "Come children. We should all return. It has been a fortuitous day."