It wasn't comfy but Seth still managed to sleep, somehow. At least the blankets were cozy.

He had been feeling completely drained since yesterday. Mostly because of the encounter with Orton. Some of the things that had been said had really triggered him, to the point where he actually – finally – told him off. He was glad he had found the guts to do it. It was a little thanks to Dean; he stood up for him. He didn't know what to think of that. Dean was such a difficult dude... but at least he hadn't showed his worst side. He probably wasn't cool with him still, even though Seth had brought him his favourites and bought him a drink. Or two... That hadn't been an attempt to get on his good side. He just wanted to be nice. Dean sometimes showed his decent side and he just wanted to show kindness back.

One thing was certain, Dean always gave him a lot to think about. Him, and the upcoming mission. That hadn't helped his sleep either. They were going to take down another raupnir. The fact that they had done it before was reassuring but he would be stupid if he wasn't nervous. It would still be a new opponent with new battle conditions.

Even if he was nervous, he wasn't too worried since he had a great pair of Hunters with him. He was freshly Re-Set so in that sense he had absolutely nothing to fear. He would be able to support them without fail.

He must have dosed off again as he woke up by being poked in the side by a naked foot.

"Hey, pretty boy, get up."

Dean...

Seth groaned a little at that stupid nickname. It wasn't like he used it because that was a descriptive name for him. More like a belittling thing. Seriously. He had a name.

"Roman's out getting some food supplies", Dean continued, still towering by his side.

Seth didn't reply, just got up and reached for his clothes. The other must have anticipated his action as he grabbed them before Seth could. Seth wasn't in the mood for childish games. He was just about to take them back in annoyance when the garments were thrown at him, covering his head.

He made a grunt as he pulled them off him, the movement creating static which made his hair all fluffy. Of course Dean laughed at it.

"Stupid..." he just muttered, as he tried to flatten out his hair some. He got out of his cozy nest of fabric and got dressed before he made a quick visit to the bathroom.

As he made his last preparations, Roman returned. They had something to eat but Seth didn't quite feel like it. His stomach was kind of protesting some, not for the hour, just the fact that they were on their way. Preparing for leaving spiked his nerves again. Roman reminded him that he needed to eat something. He knew that and that didn't make it easier for him. He forced down an egg sandwich at least. Or half of it, more like. He packed up the leftovers in some paper package hoping to be able to eat it later. Roman seemed to approve of that.

He wondered how the other coped. But then again, they were like super experienced. This was probably no big deal at all. Like a walk in the park. They were so calm and collected. Eating in silence. Was that actually a sign of them being focused, or were they nervous too? They should be affected by it, it was a really serious mission after all. Maybe they were nervous, even though they were experienced. Or did he just project his own feelings onto them? He wanted to do good on a serious mission like this. But then again, all missions were serious. The difference here was that it was a really high level monster. Or high ranked? Did monsters have ranks? A serious threat in any case. But that didn't mean the smaller ones were to be taken lightly. They were-

"Headache~"

Dean's voice snapped Seth out of his mental rambling. He just stared at him, trying to get his head around what he had said. There still was no way Seth could give Dean a headache because he was thinking a lot. What kind of statement was that anyway?

They shared a gaze that probably lasted longer than normal between them. During that moment, Seth's mind just came to a halt. Heat started spreading across his cheeks, and he just hoped it didn't show. The realization caused him to break eye contact and he busied himself with drinking his lohdrink. He saw Roman's expression; that lopsided smile. What was that? And that slight head shake?

Dean saw it too: "Shut it...!" he snapped.

"I haven't even said anything", Roman defended himself, but he was clearly amused.

"But you were about to..." Dean grumbled, giving him a warning look.

That only had Roman raise an eyebrow.

Seth couldn't help appreciating that little scene. It lightened up the situation, making him feel less nervous for a moment. That probably was the big brother vibe. He probably hadn't meant anything by the look and that; he was just amused and used the scene to release some tension. It was Dean, and maybe himself, that overreacted with that snap towards Roman. But his initial comment was actually pretty amusing. Roman must have thought so too. Headache... Seth inwardly chuckled at that.

After this first refill of energy, they packed up the last of their stuff and could leave for their mission. They knew they needed to retrace their steps from their previous fight as it was there they would find their prey. But they still needed to be prepared and stay focused as it could come for them as soon as they were sensed by it. Seth didn't know how it worked, just that he had been told that monsters could sense people. He didn't know how wide those sensors were or what kind of energies they picked up. Was it like Rune Masters that could sense Magic? But Dean didn't have any Runes that could contain Magic... He did have his Rune stone in his weapon though. But he hadn't that activated, as far as he knew. But maybe it sent out some vibes anyway? The Runes would make sense though since the first raupnir had Magic abilities. But it was a monster, so maybe they picked up something else? Was it more like an animal and actually caught up on their scent? The raupnir was more demon like though, not like other monsters that were more like a more feral and dangerous version of animals.

Seth continued his thinking as they walked. He wanted to try to be as prepared as possible and thinking about the opponent gave him some kind of analysis of it, even if it was things about it he didn't know, it still gave him possibilities and theories that could be valuable in the upcoming confrontation.

It was not just Seth that was more on guard. Dean must have been too as he didn't take any detours to take care of some random monsters on their way. He kept close to his team, staying sharp. They did encounter some of those gitts again that happened to cross their path. Whoever was closest took care of it, may it been Roman or Dean. Seth didn't get to do anything. He may need to save the Magic, but he still would have wanted to have done something. Contribute to the team. But for these monsters physical attacks just worked faster than Magic. Seth did have above average Magic speed, but no matter how fast, all Magic needed some preparation time. Compared to an already drawn weapon that just needed a swing.

The further away from Authority they got, the more ominous the air became. He couldn't put his finger on it. Something was picked up by his senses; something that just made him feel awkward and tense.

The air was filled with a muted roar.

"It has sensed us", Dean informed, having his most focused look.

"Really?" Seth said, involuntarily looking around in a nervous manner. It sounded so far away still. Hearing it didn't make him feel less tense.

"That was a raupnir at least", he continued. Seth nodded. This was the real deal and he knew he had to focus. They got this. He got this.

"It's gonna meet us, we should travel light", Roman said. "Let's just have an emergency pack in Seth's bag." Seth welcomed Roman's focus. He saw the sense in his analysis, if they left their packs here, they wouldn't need to waste time removing it later on in case of an ambush. That would save valuable time. And Seth didn't mind taking care of the medical kit, being the background player he was.

They quickly rearranged their packing and hid their bags under the root system of a fallen tree before they continued. Dean and Roman were the vanguard and Seth kept his Magic active but dormant; he wanted to access his Magic as soon and quickly as possible. He didn't use any of it though, just stirring it, letting it know that it about to be released.

It was longer than they expected it to be before encountering it. About an hour later, they still hadn't seen it. That scared Seth a little. It meant it really had some really wide sensors, whichever type. It had seemed like it had been farther away from where they had felled the twin. Maybe luckily. What if it had moved towards town, it would probably have sensed them there, and maybe come for them...? But then again, who knew where it had been when it had sensed its killed twin? Maybe it had been on its way here? Had it roamed the area and went the opposite way or hadn't it come to the area yet?

A roar louder than ever filled the air, letting them know they did get considerably closer. Soon after that they heard the disturbance of the woods, the cracks and vibrations.

Dean clearly was excited over it. His eyes held an eager glint but his body had a very cautious stance. He knew when it was serious and had to take on a more defensive approach.

Seth saw the first signs of it in between the trees in front of them. "It's here." The situation being more serious now, he got that battle focus again.

"We should surround it, I stay on the trail and you two take the sides", Roman said.

"I don't think it's wise", Seth said. "We know it's there, we should let it come to us. It's a Magic monster, right?"

"We should take advantage of a surprise attack", Dean said.

"It knows we're here, it won't-" Seth didn't get to finish his sentence as it was covered by a deafening roar. Just moments later and the raupnir appeared in between the trees, crashing in on them.

Seth immediately raised his shield around them as he tried to quickly analyze the situation. It did look like the previous one with the exception that it had its Rune on the opposite leg. So it was like a mirror image?

"Remember, we have to take out its Rune to prevent it from using its Magic", he said. It was like the monster had heard what he said as it instantly engulfed its lower body in flames. And with the flames came the whips. This one really didn't save anything for later.

They had to quickly scatter as it furiously started flailing those whips at them. Dean and Roman skillfully deflected its attacks. Seth adjusted his shield, keeping it around all of them still. Dean slashed at the whip but it just bent away from his blade. That didn't stop him, he kept up his attacks not letting it get away.

"Shouldn't you do something about that Fire!?" Dean shouted.

"I'm working on it!" Seth shouted back. It protected the Rune with Fire... it knew it needed the Magic. He didn't get time to build up his tornado as the monster started to cast its Magic. If it was the inferno, he needed everything for defence against it. And fast. Shit, they were still scattered and his shield wouldn't be as efficient. He eyed the monster and put even more Magic into the shield surrounding them. It was the biggest shield he had ever done. He just barely managed to enforce his Magic as they were hit by that devastating Fire Magic.

He cursed as his kept his Winds up. That kind of Magic needed to be countered with Magic, just his generic protective walls wouldn't have lasted. With his countering efforts he managed to nullify the damage instead of just decreasing it.

The inferno faded and Seth went back to his normal shield. It still held its Fire around its leg though. The monster changed its focus and turned towards Seth. He wouldn't give it any advantage as he attacked it with his Wind first, before it got itself ready. A rough tornado trapped it in its path. It was so violent it actually ripped two of those vine whips right off its body. Dark blood splattered in the winds, covering the trees and ground around them. The cry of agony from the raupnir got them all momentarily stunned, like they had been hit by an invisible wall.

"Shit..." Seth breathed. He lost his focus and the tornado died out on itself. He quickly looked up and localized the other two. They seemed dazed, but okay. Roman was the first to go back to offence to try to weaken the enemy, soon followed by Dean.

That shield of Fire was still up. How was that even possible? His tornado had been ridiculously strong.

As the warriors stabbed and slashed at its limbs and parried it counters, Seth refocused again to create another tornado to try to take out that blazing shield. Then he remembered he had enclosed the previous one with his whirlwind. He manipulated the air around its leg and quickly spun it around. The raupnir tried to escape but his team wouldn't let it. Seth didn't drag it out for too long before he quickly closed the Wind cylinder on it, successfully suffocating the Fire.

Roman instantaneously stabbed its Rune, drawing out another ear-piercing cry. It turned its attention inwardly, as if meditating.

Seth saw it. Something was wrong.

It was casting again!

"Get over here, quickly!" he yelled at the other two. Roman looked up and saw what he meant and grabbed Dean by his hoodie and threw themselves towards the mage. Seth had already prepared his spheric shield and brought it up around them just in time for another inferno. Its attack was stronger than before, probably augmented by rage, and Seth hardly managed to keep the heat out. If they hadn't stayed so close together, his shield wouldn't have been enough.

"What the hell?" Dean said, looking wide-eyed at the flames enclosing them. "I thought Roman destroyed the Rune." He turned to Seth, his temper rising. "Didn't you say hitting the Rune destroyed its Magic!?"

"It should!" Seth yelled back. He was freaked as it was, he didn't have to shout at him. It wasn't his fault. He countered another wave of the flames when it hit him. "It has another Rune!" Something froze when he realized that. What if this was another raupnir? Weren't they twins? It looked the same but...

The flames were getting weaker and got extinguished but Seth still kept his walls up. "Are... are we sure this is the same raupnir...?" he asked worriedly. He felt clouded by that fear, what if it was a mistake? That would mean they would have to take down another raupnir, as well as the twin they were supposed to now.

"It is the same, or one like it", Dean said offensively, he almost sounded insulted.

"But this one has more than one Rune, the other didn't", Seth said, being caught up in his own thoughts.

"Even twins have their differences, even if identical, no two creatures have their pigments at the same spots. They have the same amount, but can have different placement", Roman said. "Maybe that other raupnir had its Runes collectively. Like me and my arm; they are several Runes but they look like one big."

Seth had several too, but on two different places. It was reassuring, if the situation hadn't been as dire, he would have felt bad for losing his head there for a moment. He sharpened his senses again, observing the monster. He hadn't seen any other Rune on it. But it had to have another one. It could still use Magic.

That thought wasn't long-lived as all the ruckus in the forest caught the attention of other demon like monsters. Small winged grotesque figures with hideous faces. They had double sets of facial features, which just added to the freakiness.

"Take down the shield, we have to take care of these li'l shits", Dean said.

"But-" Seth said, looking towards the raupnir. It still probably needed time before being able to cast any Magic again soon but he feared its capability.

"These gargoyles are going to swarm us, we have to take them out!" Dean yelled.

Seth didn't like Dean's raised voice against him, but more and more of those monsters emerged from everywhere. It was like it was drawn in by something. Like moths drawn to a flame. Seth cursed under his breath as he took down the sphere. But he still had some protection at the ready.

Dean and Roman got to it; they accurately slew them one by one. Seth couldn't do much more than just observing the raupnir. He couldn't afford missing it casting. He couldn't sense the Magic stirring like the Rune Masters so he had to rely on seeing it cast. Or seeing the Rune to be able to take it out as well.

The raupnir aimed its arms towards them, not caring if it hit any of its little friends (?) in the process. Roman had good instincts though and avoided or blocked that flailing.

Then Seth felt like a lash at his back, burning like fire. He fell forward but sent out a couple of Wind blades towards his back. A screech and he knew he had hit one of those small fiends. He got up on his knees but that attack numbed him. He managed to finish that monster off though his aiming left a lot to be desired. Dean and Roman had their hands full already. He didn't know how bad the damage on his back was, just that it hurt like hell. Thankfully nothing had happened to his Runes.

He just had to try to Heal himself. It was hard since he couldn't use his hands. He had to try to pinpoint his Healing directly from his body. It wasted more Magic, since he had to cover more of his back with Magic, not just his wound.

He hissed as he found the wound and closed it up. He didn't have time to fully recover as those pests went for him again. As they targeted him with those double mouths he sent out an air wave to push them back and then he sliced their throats with his more accurate blades.

The monsters had barely fallen to the ground when he looked up to get an updated view of the battlefield.

Maybe he shouldn't have.

The ground was covered with dead gargoyles but they were still everywhere, coming in from all sides.

They were surrounded.