Eight Intertwined

175 - Warmaster

Cyrus had an idea. 

Ever since the battle with Winnehild began, Cyrus had been trying to work through her effortless control over the battlefield. She barely flinched when faced with the full onslaught of the travelers' party, and the only one who seemed to be able to fight back was Tressa... But only after she swapped out her spear for her scythe. Once she did that, she effortlessly wove in between Winnehild's attacks, barely seeming to notice they were aimed for her in the first place. Cyrus was certain it had something to do with the elemental affinity of the scythe. Balogar's element of water was a powerful thing, and when used in the right way, it could be what the travelers needed to win the fight.

As soon as the eldrite was delivered into Cyrus' hand by Tressa, he let out a careful breath and started to brush his fingers over it. He could feel its power actively trying to thrash against the boundaries of the stone. Now that Cyrus knew to expect the element of water, he could track it far easier than he could back when he first found the eldrite. Only one of the travelers could draw upon the power of Balogar's scythe at once, but any of them could pull from the eldrite if it was used properly. 

Cyrus remembered the blessings of the other gods well, and he knew which ones were going to help him now: Alephan and Balogar. Alephan granted a focus unparalleled to those who had received his blessing, and Balogar could freely flow with the elements just as he had during his battle with the travelers. If Cyrus focused the power of the eldrite and followed the example Balogar had set, then he would be able to use it against Winnehild. 

Nearby, the rest of the travelers were doing their best to fend Winnehild off for long enough for Cyrus to tap into the power of the eldrite. Cyrus took in a careful breath and let it out as the blessings of Alephan and Balogar crackled beneath his skin and pulled free of the stone. Cyrus could feel something about him begin to change, and the eldrite grew warm against his palm like it could barely withstand the power it was sharing. 

Alfyn was the closest traveler to Winnehild when the spell finally activated, and her sword swung down to aim for his shoulder. Alfyn looked like he wanted to deflect the attack but realized his axe would move too slow to keep him safe. His eyes widened, but just before the sword struck, his body moved on its own to step out of the way. Winnehild's blade kissed empty air before slamming into the ground of the shrine, and Alfyn was left with wide eyes as he stared down at the sword. He only remembered to jump out of the way of Winnehild's follow-up attack after the sword started to shift in his direction, and Alfyn scrambled at the last second to avoid the slash. 

Cyrus' proud smile glowed as he pressed the eldrite against his chest. The element of water was the most mutable of all the powers the gods held, and he had learned as much during his studies back at the Royal Academy. He never would have imagined he would find a use for it here though, not that he was complaining. There was no better feeling for a scholar than seeing their research put into effect in real time. 

But Cyrus couldn't fall complacent just yet. There was still a battle to be won, and Cyrus would see it through no matter what. He dropped the eldrite into one of the pockets of his bag, hoping that it would remain active even after he put it away. Luckily, it seemed to, and the rest of the travelers easily wove in and out of Winnehild's range to keep her distracted. If the goddess of war was upset, she was doing her best to not show it, schooling her lips into a tight frown rather than let her rage get the best of her. Cyrus smiled at the sight anyway, and he raised the Aether Scepter high above his head to drain her energy. Winnehild slowed ever so slightly, but she remained fast enough to be a threat. 

As far as Cyrus could tell, the only way to defeat her was to disarm her. While the travelers were no longer sustaining massive damages against Winnehild, that strategy was not perfect, and Cyrus knew the eldrite combined with Balogar and Alephan's blessings would only keep the group safe for so long. The best way to win this fight was to take Winnehild's weapons from her... But how could they do that? She was gripping them as tightly as she could, and Cyrus knew better than to try and wrench them out of her hands himself. Even with the eldrite's power, that wouldn't be enough to keep him from her raw strength. Getting too close was a risk none of them could afford to take.