On the Road
Telemachus couldn't suppress a grin as the cogs of their yet untested outfit meshed together fairly harmoniously. Calira's distraction and rallying cry seemed to get everyone exactly where they needed to be. In fact, her shield held up well against the pair of barbarians, forming an intimidating line of defense. Baldyr's crippling spell succeeded in giving the incoming attacker quite a leg cramp, and he stopped dead in his tracks, shifting his weight quickly to avoid falling. Unfortunately, besides that little stumble, it didn't look like he was all that deterred, now focusing a new barrage squarely at Calira. Luckily for her, even as she braced herself, Margo had fired off two bolts, both of which connected with the bandits at the front of the group. The one that was reserved for Calira's attacker hit him square in the chest and managed to knock him onto his back, stunning him. The other hit the stationary assailant, apparently with less force as he remained standing, but a shout indicated that he was still in pain as a result. As all of this unfolded, Raul had lined up his shot and fired, hoping to shoot the man who was previously rushing towards them. Unfortunately for him, Margo's bolt leveled him before his bullet could reach, and the projectile had already managed to take an uncharacteristically wide turn, headed towards Aithne and the horses.
One of the proud steeds fell. Thankfully, nobody would be able to tell it was his fault. Probably.
When Aria called out that a burst of fire was incoming, Telemachus rushed to the side, but the spell still managed to catch on his robe, leading him to yelp and act frantically to remove the article of clothing that was a few moments away from becoming a towering inferno. He cursed and stamped out the garment until it was reduced to a few smoldering cinders underfoot. In that commotion, he had almost forgotten there was a fight at hand. Almost. The arcanist dropped his shoulder and rammed into the bandit who was making his approach, managing to push him back into the line of Casea's spell so that the huge gust would not go completely to waste.
Margo turned around just in time to see Atana's shot ring out and strike the hostage-holding criminal right between his eyes, successfully freeing Allerun, who blinked in surprise and slumped onto his knees for a moment. Not only was the shot accurate, but it sent a clear message to the only bandit still alive and conscious. The woman before his eyes was both deadly accurate and cold-blooded enough to risk shooting one of her own companions. He placed down his axe and let his eyes roam over the bodies of his comrades, "I don't wanna die here... but don't think this will be the last you hear from us. The boss likes repaying blood-debts personally."
With that, he turned tail and ran into the woods. Telemachus had wanted to give chase, but it suddenly occurred to him that there was another presence along the edge of the path. He raised his hands to fight, only to see a rather familiar face dragging a body out of the forest. He had a bruise forming around his left eye, but based on the state of the bandit he brought along with him, he was the clear winner.
"Tern?" Telemachus called out, sounding somewhat relieved but apprehensive.
The dark haired young man glanced his way and beamed, "Don't tell me you're the one the Alderken sent to deliver Vysena's sword. Does that mean my baby brother is moving up in the world?" That elicited a hefty groan from Telemachus as he bit his tongue to keep down whatever biting comment he had prepared. At the very least, if Tern was here, that must have meant the Guards were more than prepared for their arrival. He decided it would be best just to move forward.
"Did you manage to see where our other bandit ran off to?" the arcanist asked, quickly. His brother shook his head and explained that one had managed to escape from him, too, but that the rest of the road towards the destination was being patrolled and should be incredibly easy to traverse. With a quick look over the site of the battle, bleeding horse and all, he decided the faster they go there the better. He gave Calira an approving smile thanks to the abilities she displayed in the face of danger and addressed the whole group, "It's going to be an easy jaunt from here on out. I say we just get it over with, leave the cart behind and bring these captives back on the only horse we have left." Thinking a moment, he asked, "Assuming everyone is okay with the plan and doesn't feel like running after the ones that got away?" He hadn't seen Christian since the battle began, and Aithne was deathly silent. Allerun had finally managed to stand again, and he believed nobody would object to completing their task without any further mishaps. After all, important cargo trumped amateur brutes any day. He and Tern lead the way, as Telemachus took the reins back from Aithne without another word.
