Aeotha's mouth was incredibly dry. It was Gershul. The name itself was frightening, and not in the sort of way a man's name from myth was. He was as real as Skandra was, and Skandra had done some things with Alchemy that made Aeotha uncomfortable, she had no idea what to except from someone who did not seem to have limits. If he created this place, or the doorway to it, it meant he'd killed Uaine. He could have killed all of them. There were more dead, there had to be. No just Uaine and the elf they'd seen back there. There had to be more than that. An entire village. All the scouts. What about Shantar and Líobhan? She was trying to calm down, like he asked, but she felt as if she was made by taunt springs.. ready to snap at any moment.
It was without thought that she unstrapped her staff from her back and pulled it up against her side. He was discarding his gloves, his coat, his hat, and preparing for a fight. For the fight coming for them. Aeotha's mind felt absolutely blank. She had no idea what use she'd be in a fight against immortals. She'd only ever just struck Skandra with her staff, albeit less to actually harm him and more to dissuade him from doing foolish things. It didn't always work, but most of the time he stopped what he was doing at least to curse at her. But she could do worse to a man when she had reason to.
Her heart thudded to a stop when he told her to keep her staff close. It reminded her of..
He was ready for more than a fight. Aeotha had never seen him look as serious as this. It was because she was always beside him during a fight, or because she was always too busy being ready for the fight herself. He looked.. grim. He looked as though he could move a mountain with those eyes and in the same breath curse the heavens. She didn't feel nearly as confident, or look as intimidating.
She doubted she ever looked that intimidating. Maybe to a Drow, but certainly not to most people. She could do some amazing things with magic, but without the confidence in the magic even working she felt naked. She felt.. powerless in a way she hadn't felt in what could easily have been a lifetime. The last time she'd stood looking upon a battle which she was unsure if she could do anything about she'd been but a girl with a half-dead knight laying behind her recovering from his wounds. They still sang that song in the south of Astarii. Sang it in hopes that their daughters would grow to be as brave as that priestess or marry men like that knight.
Aeotha took a deep breath. There was only so much she could do against an immortal either way, her magic simply wouldn't have helped her in this, except for protection. She suddenly wished she had at least that.
"You don't think we could possibly try to talk this out..?" When he looked at her from the corner of his eye she found it in her to smile.