[Arestevana]

Maulká gave an ecstatic shout as the battle began. Taking her javelin in both hands, she ran towards the intruders, laughing aloud. She was slightly disappointed to see the one called Quendi already in combat with Nephil, but there were plenty of other intruders to fight, if none so intriguing. She paused just short of the thickest part of the battle, looking for an unclaimed enemy. The incomers seemed to have no qualms about barging in on their companions’ fights. In fact, they often acted pleased rather than outraged if an ally brought down the enemy they were assailing. Shaking her head at this barbaric attitude, Maulká caught sight of a group of the trespassers fighting back-to-back closer to the chamber’s entrance. One in particular seemed to be having good fortune, as the strange axe-wielder brought down several native warriors one after another.

Watching for a moment, Maulká recognized a battle-rage in the creature’s eyes. It was going to charge them! Maulká jostled several other natives aside and placed herself in the creature’s path. She set the end of the shaft against the floor and steadied the point level with creature’s throat as it gave a strange but fierce battle cry and charged toward her. Maulká fully expected her opponent to be speared on the end of her javelin, but it dodged the point and swung its weapon at her head. She wrenched the javelin up, warding of the blow. She was forced to parry the blows by striking the shaft of her enemy’s weapon, as the sharp axe-head would easily cut through her wooden javelin.

Twice more Maulká parried, trying to find an opening in which to strike at her adversary’s unprotected face. Even a scratch might put enough poison in the wound to kill. She blocked another attack and jabbed at the creature’s head, but it darted to one side, shearing a foot of wood from the end of her weapon with a sweep of its axe. Maulká cursed and splintered the shaft of her broken javelin against the creature’s armor, winding him. She drew her dirk and dagger so quickly that they seemed to jump into her hands.

Before the other could recover, she attacked with a maneuver she had been taught as a child; parrying with her dirk, then striking with the same weapon while parrying with the dagger in her other hand. She moved with little caution, knowing that outsiders never expected this technique. It seemed that this particular intruder was familiar with the attack though, for its counter blow left a deep cut in Maulká’s side. She fell back momentarily, and another native warrior took the opportunity to step in. Maulká cursed the man for taking her fight, but she stepped back again, reluctantly taking a moment to recover her strength.