The earth rumbled gently as the swell of rock and soil passed over the grass. The stars disappeared in the steadily lightening sky, and the enchanted earth quieted as the first sliver of the sun peeked over the horizon.

The Guardians stood up and stretched, leaving the mound of earth that had carried them across Craorag in the space of a night. Behind them, the remaining tributes left with shaking legs. A gentle breeze blew from the south, carrying their worried murmurs to the ears of the master magi. 

"Are you sure this is the place, Ellie?" Tigaern asked, wincing as a muscle cramped in his lower back. Elswyth nodded, eyes closed. 

"I'm looking through about five deer right now. All three armies are on their way to this field. It's going to be bloody if we can't stop them in time. Craorag is mobilizing, but they won't get here before the day's out." Miyu allowed herself a tiny grin.

"I suppose we're lucky that your nation procrastinates as badly as you, Tig." He didn't reply, and she frowned. "See, that was a joke to break the tension. It only works if you laugh. Audience participation, you know."

"I'm laughing on the inside. Are all the kids here?"

Cyprus stood up from his place on the mound and almost immediately swayed, eyes fluttering closed. Elswyth caught him as he stumbled onto flat land, signing something with trembling hands.

"He says we're missing one," Miyu said. "Dhruva al Thea, the boy with the star-magic. Damn it, he could have pulled off some decent battlecraftings. Any idea what happened to him?"

"I'm not sure he even got on the transport," Elswyth replied. "Hey, ask Cyprus if he'll be okay for the battle. Can he fight?"

Cyprus flicked an irritated glance at Elswyth before signing something else. "He says he'll be drawing power directly from the earth. There's enough energy in the surrounding land to keep him going. Also, he says that there's nothing wrong with his ears and you should really address him, not me."

Elswyth mumbled an apology before releasing him. Cyprus bowed his head, signing a spell and touching the ground. Almost immediately, his crystal focus began to glow as energy flowed into him.

The sun was almost completely over the horizon. Elswyth raised her head sharply. "They're coming. A mile away and closing fast. They'll be using magic to augment their speed."

"Cyprus and I will do what we can to slow them down," Tigaern said calmly. "We'll stop them cold if we need to. A couple of the kids will join us- maybe we can talk some sense into the non-brainwashed army members. Ellie, Miyu, the rest should go with you to find and kill Ammet. If we're lucky, its death will free the souls it's stolen." 

Miyu nodded. "Be careful, you two. Keep casualties to a minimum."

Cyprus signed a response, then closed his eyes, hair concealing his expression. When he opened them again, they shone the same fiery orange as molten magma. A slow smile crossed Tigaern's face.

"He says that a show of force will probably stop the battle long enough to chat," explained Miyu. The earth trembled lightly around Cyprus's feet. Tigaern's grin widened until any true merriment was bleached away by carefully contained hunger. The air around him shook with power, and his eyes turned as black as night. 

"Funny. I understood him perfectly that time." Elswyth stepped to join them. A shudder of energy from her flattened the grass around them. Her eyes flickered green with cat-like pupils, snake-yellow, and the brown of a northern bear's irises. 

"Don't forget that excessive bloodshed is bad, boys. We're on a mission of peace," she said, voice echoing with a lion's roar, a raven's caw, and the buzzing of a thousand bees. 

Miyu stepped to join them, and the resulting wave of magical force ignited the grass for five feet around them. Her voice became unnaturally loud and resonant. "I'm sure they'll make every effort. Nonetheless..."

Horns sounded on the horizon. The senior magi didn't dignify the sound with a glance- their attention was fixed on each other.

"They have broken the peace of Halyin. Let us remind them why even kings feared the wrath of the Guardians."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Requirements

-Your tribute must go with either Cyprus and Tigaern or Elswyth and Miyu.

Cyprus and Tigaern's Group

-Stop the battle, by any means necessary. I will be expecting some action, but beyond that you may do as you please.

Elswyth and Miyu's Group

-Kill Ammet. This is significantly more difficult than it sounds. 

-In addition to whatever other battle capabilities you choose to give Ammet, it is capable of taking control of anyone who meets its eyes. By now, it has probably amassed a fairly sizable force of humans that will defend it.

Kills: Nope! There will be no kills this task, save those you want to throw in just because. Two tributes will be awarded byes this task- the rest will be put up for votes. One tribute will be eliminated this round.

Due Date: Friday, January 22 at 10 PM EST