บท 521: Frozoned

*Shatter!*

The ice-keeping Charlotte locked in place abruptly explodes, sending icy shards flying everywhere. Thankfully the girl's Ebonthread clothing and Illococoo's scales block most of the damage, but it doesn't stop them from being knocked off of their feet.

Illococoo herself shields her eyes and ducks her head low to avoid a debilitating injury, not noticing Charlotte jumping into action. blasting out a wall of snow which blinds everyone momentarily.

"Kill. Them." the wrathful voice from Charlotte's necklace demands, but just as the blunette staff rises to strike down her friends, she grits her teeth and wrenches it away as a spell is cast.

*SHIIK!*

*THUD!*

A large spear of ice shoot out, and while it was previously aimed at Illococoo's head, Charlotte's efforts had managed to alter its trajectory... It hits Illococoo's front leg, pinning it to her stomach as the spell pierces both.

"B-BIG SIS!?" Illococoo yelps as she falls to her side, blood quickly beginning to pool beneath her as everyone else comes to.

"Charlotte! Stop!" Tiffania exclaims as she sees her wounded friend, almost causing her to blast Charlotte with enough power to put an end to this... She knew erasing her memory wouldn't do anything but give Clavicus Vile more control over her, so unless she erased all her memory, including those vital to her body's functions, there was little she could do.

"I. SAID. KILL THEM!" the chain around Charlotte's neck roars, the shrunken face opening its mouth as it screams. Charlotte clutches her head as pain rips through her body, her soul being punished directly for her disobedience.

She shakes her head however, taking back control for however long she could and pulling her eyes from the ground. A wave of her staff produces an ice bridge which she jumps atop, using it and the mountain they were atop to quickly slide away from Winterhold. (Basically Frozone's ice bridges from the Incredibles)

"Stop! We can help you!" Tiffania shouts after her.

Megumin pulls her shoulder, "She's gone, you need to heal Illu!" the chuunybu girl states, looking pretty unhappy about how things had turned out.

...

Tiffania lets out a tired sigh before nodding and going to attend to Illococoo. "We failed."

"We did..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the naval battle was steadily coming to a close, the battle on land still raged. While the Imperials had taken massive damage from Megumin, Lina, Michael, and the Eredar, they still heavily outnumbered Winterhold's forces.

The Eredar were few in number, and while they were far stronger than your average Tamrielic soldier, there was only so much they could do when facing many opponents at once.

The College mages also helped out, but without the aid of Conjuration magic, they found it difficult to obstruct any charge without also harming their allies with their spells.

This combined with the few forces taken to help put out the fires in the city forced the defenders to lose ground, eventually having their backs forced against the makeshift wooden wall.

Prior to this slight win, the Imperial's morale had been at an all-time low... The smell of burnt flesh was only one of the many components that lead to it. Another being most of their siege weapons being destroyed along with a great many of their mages.

Regardless, Rikke, like any good soldier, pressed their advantage. The Winterhold defenders were beginning to panic now that they were trapped between an army and their own wall, while she could no longer employ her now rather small cavalry unit, this battle of attrition would end in their favour.

The only problem she could foresee is if their random ally of the Thalmor navy somehow got destroyed or turned against them... She hadn't been aware that the navy was arriving but she was grateful that they had, especially after a dragon appeared to be aiding Winterhold... "This battle is as good as ours if we press the assault!"

Vrijeme, her Vrijeme Psijic Order ally shakes his head in response. "Do not be overconfident. The huge ambient magicka released by that tower stops any divining I might have been able to do..." he says before his eyes lock onto someone standing atop the wood wall of Winterhold. "Ah, it appears that my next opponent has arrived."

"The Arch-Mage?" Rikke inquires after spotting the robed Dunmer, "How bad will this battle be? Should I have my men retreat?"

Vrijeme nods, "That would be a wise decision..."

Rikke nods, "MEN! WITHDRAW TO ME AND GIVE THE MAGES SPACE TO BATTLE!" she commands, her men doing as they're told, not wanting to get frozen or incinerated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And who might you be, hmm?" Savos Aren asks while aiding his voice with magic.

"Just Vrijeme to you, I am aiding the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion against you, and those with you. I have to say, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Arch-Mage, I've heard many good things."

Savos sniffs derisively at him, "Oh, such flattery, a shame you deliver it in such bad faith. What's your full name, fellow. Allow me the ability to send condolences to your family."

"Vrijeme Vrijeme if you truly need two names." the monk jokes.

Savos shakes his head and conjures two colourful spells in his hands, "Well, if you wish to be buried in a nameless grave, so be it." he states before thrusting both hands and summoning a veritable firestorm that washes over the area where the monk was standing, incinerating everything in its path.

He then follows it up by sending a torrent of lightning into the fiery smoke, blasting anything that may have been unfortunate enough to survive the initial attack.

...

Savos hums in thought as silence reigns, "Forcing my hand was a failure in both our parts." he remarks to no one imparticular.

"I agree, no one wins in such instances..." Vrijeme states as he envokes the wind to clear the smoke, revealing him standing unharmed amidst the devastation. "Today, however, I am just a 'No one'."