Post edited 10:50 pm – January 26, 2013 by Sanarian

    The feral beast that bolted for Avelia had done so in such a primal, instinctive manner that he had neglected to consider the steel weapon in her hands. Gripped between her fingers, she held the spear in front of her, shielding her body and using the length to steer the beast to her side. All of the force from defending her frame forced her to the ground, landing on her back beside Cloud. She quickly got up, readying her weapon, pointing the sharp spear-end towards the wolf and launching a smooth spray of poisonous ooze his way.

Raiden didn't so much as flinch, even as the beast charged at him; a mistake he became aware of when the monstrous wolf flung itself at him. When the animal's body slam made contact he felt the air escape from his lungs, before crashing painfully into the rocky ground some feet away. It wasn't enough to do real damage but the searing pain in his chest would sting for quite some time, not to mention the minor scrapes and bruises from the fall.

“Alright puppy,” Raiden viciously snarled, threateningly pointing his shamshir at the alpha wolf. “I'm going to enjoy making a meal out of you!” With those words the Turk bolted toward his attacker in a frenzy, blade drawn back in preparation for his counter attack. When he was within range of the beast he turned his body to the right in order to extend his reach before swinging the blade up in a deadly crescent arc, hoping to cut the monster open.

The beast that marked Avelia growled with a disturbing kind of anger, sending a blood curdling shiver through her spine. She had noticed Raiden had taken a bad hit from what looked like the pack leader but she could not get round to healing him with the wolf in front of her. Swinging wildly, she hoped to connect with the skull of her enemy, targeting its weakest point with the sharp, spear end of her staff.

Raiden was ecstatic, despite the rage that had set his blood boiling. The wolf wasn't all too different from him, desperately struggling to survive through the trial present before it. That particular train of thought brought an almost maniacal smirk to the Turk's face. Even if the challenge was only a wild animal, the thrill of a real fight had always made him feel more at ease. Just as he was preparing to strike out at the Alpha yet again, a sudden cry from one of his comrades rung through his ears.

Raiden desperately vaulted away from the Alpha Wolf, moving solely on instinct. Out of the corner of his eye the Turk caught sight of the magical bolt of lightning. At that moment Cloud's plan of attack dawned upon him. In an impressive feat of agility the swordsman twisted about on a dime, wildly rushing at the beast. Raiden's eyes were aflame with a burning determination to grab the opportunity before it was lost. With both hands now firmly upon the hilt of his Shamshir he came into reach. Intending to strike a death blow he poured every ounce of his strength into one mighty rising slash.

Having collided with the beast's head, Avelia was able to swing upwards her spear, slicing through its neck and throat. Blood sprayed out, splashing the ground in a streak of crimson, as the wolf fell lifeless with a thud. She quickly turned to Tsuna, who was still battling with his enemy, and cast a cure spell on his wounds. The green aura surrounded his bleeding calf and sealed up the opened flesh almost instantly. “That should keep you going for a little longer. Now kill that thing!” She sighed and collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily both from exhaustion and relief. With two fiends down, she was sure the battle was soon over.

Raiden just stood there for a moment, glaring triumphantly at the lifeless remains of the wolf. Breathing deeply the Turk let the tension of the of the encounter fade away. When the bloodlust had faded away, Raiden began walking toward Cloud; too sore from the battle to move with much haste. “I owe you one,” he offered, holding out a hand to his immobile friend. “need a hand?”

    With all of their enemies defeated, it seemed an opportune moment to absorb what had just happened. Avelia's heart was pounding in her chest; a caged bird desperate to escape. She looked at her allies, all of them looking back at one another. Appearing healthy, Avelia decided to conserve her energy for now and withhold from using any more magic. Cloud stood upright, declaring his ableness at walking alone. Beside her, the Shinra grunt lay lifeless, a reminder that her fate could have travelled in a similar path.
    “I'll check him.” She knelt down and felt her way through the man's trouser pockets, moving up to his jacket and then across his waistline where several pouches and bags were fastened.

OOC: Not sure if Avelia is going to find anything in particular so I'll leave this open.

“Don't be afraid,” Raiden joked while tearing free a tattered strip of cloth from his coat sleeve. “I'm here to hold your hand after all, Tsuna.” Gently pressing the piece of scrap to the edge of the shamshir, he carefully slid it along the blade's edge; clearing away any traces of blood from the steel. With a soft, almost uncharacteristic smile the Turk sliced through the air with a flourish before sliding the weapon into its sheath. “All joking aside, if there's an ambush along the way it will find us regardless.”

“If we move along at a slower pace we'll have time to recover our stamina–there's no reason to tax ourselves any more than necessary.” Raiden spoke bluntly, though not particularly inclined to any option in particular. If they had more violence in the near future, he'd enjoy it to the fullest extent possible. “Find anything on the grunt?”

    The grunt had all kinds of loose equipment on his person; a lighter, some keys, a survival knife, but nothing that seemed of any great use… Until Avelia came across two small globes of incredible power. Materia. This was the kind of thing she worked with on a daily basis so knew exactly what she was holding. A smile crossed her face before turning to the group.
“Materia! This could be very useful.” Cloud's reaction made it apparant that he, too, knew what she was handling. In fact, the whole group was using materia. She glanced each one over, the yellow one first and then the blue. “Right, well I have an Elemental ability, which will attach the matched element to your attacks.” She held it out, offering it to one of the men as it would not prove useful to her. “And this one is Cover, enabling the user to defend an ally. Who wants what?” She decided to give them both away as they would be better used by somebody else.

OOC: I think Cover is actually purple but I kept it as yellow just in case.