For a moment, the Willow Witch paused, hesitating as she stared at the outfit that was neatly folded atop one of the chests in her tent. When she fought in the arena, she had worn a padded gambeson in the midnight blue of the Vale of Mists, along with a coat of mail borrowed from one of the soldiers in Lady Nyrielle's personal guard. At the time, she'd been proud to don the colors of the Vale and to stand on the sands in attire that reminded everyone where the Willow Whip came from.

Now, however, like Lady Ashlynn, the time had come for her to wear armor that was suited to her role in battle and that required several changes from the simple armor of common soldiers.

The quilted breeches she slid into had drawstrings at the hems that cinched them tight just above her cloven hooves, giving her the mobility she needed to dash about the battlefield. Whether it was to attack the enemy or rush to the side of fallen soldiers, mobility was one of the most important facets of the way she intended to fight, and Heila carefully buckled a brightly polished set of steel greaves over the dull green fabric that added an extra layer of protection for the most vulnerable part of her legs.

The quilted doublet she wore over her simple tunic was another seemingly simple change in her armor, replacing the dual-layered chain and mail with a single garment that added dozens of small steel plates to her innermost layer of protection. Patterned after the armor worn by the Black Wolf Brigade, it sacrificed some protection in order to reduce the weight she would need to carry when she moved around a much larger battlefield than the confined area of the High Fen Arena.

The final layer of her armor, however, was something truly unique, unlike anything worn by soldiers of the Vale in any of its four armies.

The greatest predator in the Briar was the Giant Thornback Alligator, and Heila and Ashlynn had hunted one of the massive beasts as part of their 'graduation' from the Mother of Thorns' tutelage over the summer. The first thing that Heila had made with the leather of the powerful beast was her War Hat, which protected her better than any helm ever would and provided several additional advantages as well.

Now, she slid her arms into the sleeves of the second item that had been crafted from the skin of the giant, thorny lizard. The leather coat was long enough that its hem brushed up against her ankles when she walked and heavy enough that it would remain still in all but the stiffest winds, but rather than feeling oppressive, the weight felt comforting when it settled on her shoulders, as if a protective arm had wrapped around her and given her a hug.

"Thank you, Jacques," she whispered as she ran her fingers over the tooled leather that the Sandbox Witch had infused his thorny, protective energy into before sending it with her when she and Ashlynn left the Briar. There had been no time then to fashion it into appropriate armor, but given the opportunity, the Sorcerers of Sundered Earth had been more than willing to craft something suitable for the famed Willow Whip out of the leather Jacques had prepared for her.

Once she was dressed, Heila's hands moved quickly, filling the pockets of the leather coat with a number of small bottles, packets of powders and other things that would be useful in the battle to come before she grabbed the leather, wide brimmed War Hat that completed her outfit and settled it atop her head along with a braided, coiled whip that rested on her hip.

When she finally stepped out of the tent, Ipiktok recoiled visibly as he felt the powerful, prickly aura that accompanied the Willow Whip. For the past several weeks, he'd mostly encountered her in her role as Ashlynn's lady-in-waiting and as a healer tending to the injured. Unconsciously, her mild, feminine appearance had worn away his first impression of the fierce warrior who defeated him and nine of his best men on the sands of the arena.

Now that he looked at the fierce, armored witch before him, however, he realized that the core of strength within her had never softened. If anything, it had grown fiercer and stronger than it had been when he fought her, combined with a resolve to never again find herself as powerless as she'd been on the slopes of the High Pass when Lady Ashlynn needed her the most and she was able to do so little to help.

"Lady Heila," Ipiktok said as he knelt before the Willow Whip and lowered his head. "The scouts spotted a caravan of human soldiers entering the city. They await you in the command tent," he said as he extended a hand that was large enough for the diminutive witch to sit on. "I came to carry you there," he said a touch awkwardly as his fingers coiled back from the prickly aura emanating from the armored witch.

"I appreciate the offer, Ipiktok," Heila said with a faint smile. "But this was a gift from the Sandbox Witch," she said as she gently caressed the leather that would shred the hands of anyone who tried to grab her but would never harm the person it was intended to protect. "You won't be able to touch it easily, so I'll walk behind you if you can clear a path," she offered.

"In that case, follow me," the giant Tuscan said with an audible sigh of relief as he stood and stepped away from the thorny aura that protected the diminutive witch.

After watching the Cypress Witch and the Oak Witch in their assault of of the Summer Villa, Ipiktok had begun to wonder if Lady Ashlynn had made a mistake in holding back her strongest combatants from the assault on the much larger and more heavily fortified Hanrahan Town, especially when he heard that there would be Templar and sorcerers from the human Church participating in this battle.

Now that Lady Heila had put down the soft mantle of the healer, however, and emerged again as a woman ready for war, he realized how wrong he'd been. There was still a wide gap between the newest members of Lady Ashlynn's coven and her first witch, and if anything, Ipiktok felt sorry for the humans who would have to face her.