The group arrived at Dragon Claw Rock a little after 10 PM and promptly set up camp. All ten sat around a fire and told stories of their greatest battles. Four of them did not participate.

"All right," Isaiah said standing, "we have a long day coming up. We leave camp at dawn tomorrow, should get to Frostcrag about two hours after that. The vampires will probably be asleep by then." He paused then continued, "Atronachs and Monarchs however, do not need to be. Get some sleep."

Everyone left the campfire and crawled into their bedrolls.

Alderich however was unable to sleep. After everyone else slipped into unconsciousness, he got out of his bedroll and sat next to the fire. Makenna woke up feeling his brother's restlessness through that slight telepathy siblings (especially those skilled in magic) have and sat next to him at the campfire.

"Anxious?" Makenna said questioningly.

Alderich returned a scowling look that said 'you know the answer and why'.

"You know nothing will happen with Thurod and me on the job," Makenna said to his brother in as kind of a voice as he could ever manage. "And I am sure Druja and Ryan do not plan on letting you get killed either."

Alderich remained silent. He was obviously thinking of all possible choices and their outcomes and consequences as he often did. Being the strategically calculating type, he preferred and was adept at viewing a situation from all angles and selecting the choice that would have the most positive - or least negative - effect.

"I am going to destroy Apotheosis," Alderich said finally.

Makenna did not speak. He knew his brother well enough to know that he had used all the logic, calculations, and plain common sense he had available to him to diagnose the situation, and he had an abundance of all three. Alderich would not be swayed. Not to mention the only person present who could match his stubbornness was Makenna.

Alderich looked up from the ground at his brother. His eyes shifted and he stood up, drawing his sword. Makenna turned around and, at the sight, also stood and readied his staff.

Alderich drew in a deep breath and yelled, "ATRONACHS!"

The huge, muscular, icy-blue and small, agile, fiery-red figures were only a dozen yards from the camp when Alderich woke his friends. As the Cards and mages stirred, Alderich and Makenna stood between them and the elemental daedra.

The Frost Atronach launched a large shard of ice and its fiery counterpart cast a fireball. Neither however, was aimed at the Dunmer. They were aimed at the cluster of bedrolls, whose owners were confused and defenseless.

The two brothers moved in front of the spells, each holding out an open palm, each for a different effect but the same purpose. As the supercold shard headed strait at Makenna, his hand emitted a blue light and a translucent blue wall came up directly in front of him. When the Atronach's attack hit the frost wall, it shattered and transformed back into its basic magical elements in the same instant. Alderich did not cast a spell, he simply stood there, palm raised. The fireball was less than an inch from his hand when it was changed from a devastating flame attack to pure magicka, which he promptly absorbed into his body, restoring his own reserves.

By the time this volley was finished, Isaiah was standing behind Makenna, two arrows nocked: one between his index and middle fingers, the other between his ring and middle finger. "Fire and ice Makenna!" the Imperial roared.

The mage wasted no time bringing up his hands and altering the temperatures of the air on either side of him. On his left between the Flame Atronach and Isaiah's left arrow, the air was supercold, on his right between Isaiah's other arrow and the icy daedra, it was superheated.

Isaiah let fly the two arrows. When the dwarven bolts turned white hot and white cold, respective to the temperature change. After the arrows passed, Makenna sent a wave of ultracold at the Flame Atronach and a wave of ultrahot at the Frost Atronach. Isaiah's arrows struck both daedra centered in the chest and Makenna's temperature extreme waves impacted over their whole bodies.

This elemental combo would have killed a mortal being, but, unfortunately, Atronachs were not restricted by those bonds. The arrow struck the Flame Atronach squarely in the chest followed by supercooled air. The daedra's flames faltered, but did not extinguish. The body heat of the Atronach then melted the arrow. Then the Frost Atronach was hit with the superheated bolt and blast of air, which melted a bit of the ice that made up its body. The cold that the Atronach radiated instantly froze its 'skin' again. The arrow was planted in its chest for just a second before it was cooled and shrank to the point of shattering.

The Atronachs then sent another volley of hot and cold in the direction of their foes. Orintur easily blocked the attack with a giant shield made of blue and red light.

Volanaro and J'Skar combine a spell and sent a yellow bolt at the Flame Atronach. The living flame just stood motionless for a moment then fell over paralyzed.

Alderich was meanwhile charging at the Frost Atronach ready to swing. Makenna created and maintained a beam between his hand and Alderich's blade. Alderich took a slash at the daedra and Makenna sent a pulse through the beam, heating the sword allowing an easier and more effective slice.

Not a second after Alderich's cut, the Atronach's right hand hit the ground and melted. Alderich slowed his swing and reversed it. The moment of contact with the Atronach's left shoulder, Makenna sent a second pulse of magical heat to the dwarven blade.

As the entire icy arm fell to the ground, the daedra it was attached to a moment ago swung a stub of a right arm at Alderich. Alderich, who had not had time to take up his shield, held his sword at a right angle to the arm. The Atronach did not slow its swing and its forearm was split in half down the middle as a result.

Alderich tilted his sword and hit the frost demon under the chin with its hilt. The Atronach fell to the ground on its back. Alderich jumped up and thrust his sword through the daedra's frozen forehead. This time Alderich himself sent a heat pulse into his sword along with the one supplied by Makenna. The Atronach's head shattered and exploded.

Alderich's battle had taken no more than twenty seconds, during which time Ryan and Druja stood charging a powerful frost spell between them. Makenna joined them and added his magic to the mix. The three mages' combine power created an area about a foot in diameter that had a temperature just a few degrees above absolute zero.

Isaiah nocked three arrows - one between each of his four fingers - and aimed through the cold zone at the Flame Atronach, which was beginning to pick itself up off the ground. Isaiah released his dwarven bolts through the ultra cold. The arrows did not make it the foot they needed before they froze and shattered in the same instant. The did not however lose any of their velocity. The result was a scattershot of frozen dwarven metal that landed mostly in the Atronach's chest and ripped a hole in it. The daedra fell back to the ground not two seconds after it stood up.

Thurod and Alfonso - who had taken the duration of the battle to put on their armor - ran up and looked at the two dead Atronachs confusedly.