Less good. But still not bad, I think--can the other side fly?

I haven't seen him at it. If he can knock you down, though - 

I have good reflexes. I...I think I can get away, even if I can't win. If I try.

Findekáno, run.

Yeah, thought you'd say that. I'm - not willing to let him have this.

Findekáno, I have assets that I can't justify risking here, run.

I think I can get them out. 

In the interests of full disclosure, Maedhros says to Odette, I think the correct strategic decision is to tell you to go home. But. If you can dismiss patches of the magical visibility effects blanketing the area and check whether we'll trip anything if we charge in -

I will try and if it doesn't work I will leave.

She focuses very, very hard on explaining to the area why it is incorrect for the visibility to be obscured.

He addresses all his people, including her, though maybe it'll affect her concentration. We're going in, but not far, and just to take the pressure off the other front, which is trying to extract anyone they can save. Thauron's here. Pick a fight and then pull back, when you're losing run.

She considers asking who Thauron is, thinks better of it, promises herself she'll do it later, and focuses on clearing up the visibility.

They go in. 

Even with Odette improving the visibility, it's walking in practically blind; orcs come lunging out at them from ground that seconds ago looked perfectly clear. There's another Balrog

The orcs can simply be ordered to die. The balrog...gets completely enclosed in stone before detonating, since she can't be sure there aren't other Elves behind it.

And that gets something's attention. The magical darkness comes back with a vengeance, and it looks for a second like the Balrog fireball swallows the stone and the whole army and leaves all their lifeless corpses charred on the ground -

Odette, Maedhros says, run.

She shoots into the sky like a rocket.

The air jerks and twists like it's trying to drag her back.

Fuck that. She's broken the sound barrier, a little turbulence is nothing. But--

Should I have gotten you too? Should I get you too? She calls down to Maedhros (and only Maedhros, not that--whatever it was).

I don't think he wants me dead.

I know some of what happened to you. Does he want you worse than dead?

That would not actually at this point require him to lift a finger. Go home, Odette. We are fairly competent at fighting under these conditions and will make it out.

Okay.

She flies away.

They advance very slowly, under the conditions. Nothing challenges them. The air is getting angrier. There's howling.

Ready to run now?

We haven't even seen anything happening yet, Findekáno grumbles.

Odette...flies. And keeps a sharp eye out for Balrogs, because she could really do with some appropriate violence after that remark.

And then the enemies fall in on them from all sides - invisible, of course they had been  - and the sky goes even darker above them and they watch friends and family who aren't even on this battlefield cut down in front of them - 

I'm a bit bored, he says to Thauron, and orders them to fall back, a close fighting retreat. You've done all this before. Starved for new material?

Want me to end the game now?

Yes.

Thauron doesn't, of course. They make it out beyond the range of the enemy and head for Himring, which is probably handling the siege just fine due to having Odette present to murder things that no one else can touch. He notifies her that they're safe once in range. 

Odette has been extremely murdering things.

Thank you for letting me know, she says, goes back to murdering things, and promises herself that she's going to sing praises to Aten until her voice gives out at some point in the near future, because maybe he doesn't exist but the gods that she knows do exist for sure are awful.

They make it back to Himring by what would be nightfall were the sky visible at all. We're going to need ten thousand people in the Gap at any given time to hold it, he says, so move them. Then he takes off his armor, which is going to need to be refitted because it was designed for the absent hand, and cleans blood out of things and wonders if Celegorm's still being responsible for talking her down when she needs rest.

She will rest when there aren't any things left to murder. Or when Celegorm tells her to. One of those things.

"Hey. The bad guys'll still be there in the morning. You're going to bed. Do you need anything?"

"...When was the last time I ate?"