Spud finds his pack.

[16:50] Airgenald would make his way into a nearby cave north of Huangzhao. It was quiet, but often saw a lot of traffic from people seeking to travel to the maplewoods. The Ookami would find an isolated location hidden deep and out of the way.

Spud would put out his torchlight as he took a seat with his back against the wall, crossing one leg over the other while resting his hands in one another on his lap.

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

He repeated the steps a couple of times as his heart rate steadied and slowed. The cave floor was cold, and he could feel his heat being sapped out from under him. It was marginally uncomfortable, but it was something the defender would ignore as he began meditating.

To be a protector, not a martyr. To be an immoveable wall, unyielding in the face of danger as he stood between the wicked of this world, and his friends. This is what Airgenald strived to become.

The ookami had strayed far from his kin's magic, favoring the solid earth, with a righteous and holy spirit. Being inside the cavern made him feel closer to the element, firm, stalwart.

However, barrier magic was a device of holy magic, only something the truly virtuous could wield. Koume's mastery of it was a sign of her devotion to protecting the people of Huangzhao and their ideals. She was wise, and had endured so much, Airgenald felt she could truly empathize with him, especially after his recent capture and almost death.

He did his best to look at his enemies without fear, challenging them even when he was in chains. It back fired on him when the archon Ipos Dalmeroth called for his head, unless he begged for his life. A knot began to form in the paladin's stomach, the situation still made his heart race. More breathing as he tried to come to terms with it.

Ipos had found humor in how a man would break when his life was threatened. "Bend, not broken." The caramel fighter whispered to himself.

He was not strong enough, not yet. He had always tried to call his barriers in the heat of battle, but they were imperfect, not entirely tangible. His mind would race through his enemies, the power they wielded, their faces.

"Ipos Dalmeroth. Neo Invidia. Vel Invidia. Valentine Invidia. Coraline Invidia The Second. Ra'kamel."

His breathing would intensify, he would think of everyone they harmed, everyone they would harm, everyone Airgenald cared for most.

"Layla, Shai, Nakiri, Calael, Sera, Noel, Magdalen, Velzel, Nasu, Aaliyah, Ashera, Ume, Nina, Anise, Est." Everyone he cared about, his wife, his friends, his family, everyone he wanted to protect.

He saw them all on a battlefield, two opposingsides of light and dark. The fields were the fateless stood were charred with occultic flames and they charged in. Everyone he loved would be hurt, but Spud could not let such a thing befall them. He felt their presence behind him almost as assuredly as the wall he was propped against. He did not call on his righteous aura, but it illuminated the darkness regardless.
(Sir Airgenald Spudnicus Ixis)
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[17:11] And from the light emerged a pack of wolves, fifteen in total. Each was unique in it's own way, some larger than others, but they all seemed familiar somehow.

"They are.. My pack." Airgenald mumbled to himself. Everyone he mentioned supported him, helped him grow stronger, each of them did not want to see him fall, and he wanted to defend every single one of them.

He'd stand from his meditation as the strain of conjuring them started to take it's toll. He'd slam his shields into the ground, using them as crutches so he could focus on his pack of wolves made from solid light- or he hoped they were solid.

They began to walk around him in a circle, some looking at him, while others kept an eye out for danger. He could not help but want to see how durable they were. Alastor had cut through the four he made in the caves, Ra'kamel had smashed through the one he made to protect Kirsi.

Stomping his foot against the cave's floor, a large boulder would emerge, and he call for the wolves to push it. Several would begin shoving into it with their shoulders, some hopping on their hind feet to push with the forefront. They were much more solid than anything he had made before, but it was still hard for him to concentrate on them all.
(Sir Airgenald Spudnicus Ixis)
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[17:19] Airgenald would collapse onto his knee, all but one wolf fading into the darkness. It would rush over to him, and the Ookami would try to place his hand on it, but it would simply phase through, it was just light.

He'd close his eyes again, seeing the battlefield again. The fifteen wolves were there standing in a line between Ipos's forces and his friends.

The pack would clash with vampires and demons alike, taking the brunt of the blows, but they weren't enough to stop the march entirely. More layers, more defense. His hand would be placed on the ground as he strengthened his connection to the unmoving ground.

It became his focus as well as the people he sought to protect. Spudnicus would not give up, he would master this powerful magic.
(Sir Airgenald Spudnicus Ixis)
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[17:23] The flickering wolf before him would grow brighter, his hand now rest on the back of it's neck. It was odd to feel something so almost solid made from nothing but divine energy.

The defender would try to channel more mana into it as he focused on his wife, the conversation they had and how crushed she would have been had he died. How he refused to fall victim again to the Archon's wrath.
(Sir Airgenald Spudnicus Ixis)
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[17:27] His mana was wearing thin, and he'd collapse again. He had made good progress, but the intensive meditation and conjuring of magic he did not have a firm grasp on took it's toll on him.

He would rest against the wall again, crossing his legs as he rested his hands in his lap.

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

He repeated his breathing techniques as over a dozen faces flashed through his mind as he said each of their names'.

"Layla, Shai, Nakiri, Calael, Sera, Noel, Magdalen, Velzel, Nasu, Aaliyah, Ashera, Ume, Nina, Anise, Est... They are my pack, and I will protect them."
(Sir Airgenald Spudnicus Ixis)