Evening the Odds

The caravan's desperate struggle for survival became even more dire when a well-aimed fireball landed amidst the left flank of the shieldwall, knocking down and burning about six men. The left flank quickly collapsed as the attackers recovered and killed off the fallen guardsmen. Pretty soon, Katya and the remaining guardsmen would be completely surrounded.

Then, out of the blue, an armored figure on a war-horse charged straight into the enemy ranks, plowing straight through them before coming in again. Stunned by the ferocity of the newcomer's attack, the men attacking Katya's position became disheartened. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Katya let out a savage war cry and took the offensive, delivering a series of deep cuts to the foe in front of her before plunging her sword into another enemy next to him. The remaining guardsmen rallied, and together, Katya and some of the guards were able to cut down the men that were trapped between her advancing guards and the death machine that was the armored newcomer.

The attacker's left flank was completely crushed as Katya and a handful of surviving guardsmen reached the armored figure. Katya, who finally had a chance to get some breathing room, watched in awe as the newcomer clobbered one of the attackers with his mace, adding another body to the already impressive amount lying near him.

Unfortunately, even the newcomer's timely arrival still did not look like it would win them the day. The guardsmen that had held the center gave way to the bandits that swept up the left flank, and soon, Katya, the newcomer, and the six guards that had joined her were all that they had left. Though battered, the attackers still had at least sixteen men still standing, and that mage was nowhere to be seen.

Katya looked at the haggard faces of the survivors, and she feared that there was not much fight left in them. Suddenly, she heard a groan come from behind her and she turned around just in time to watch a tree fall onto two of the remaining guardsmen.

The mage emerged from the forest and joined the rest of his forces, who were spreading out as they cautiously prepared to engage the armored figure, Katya, and the remaining four guardsmen. Some of the attackers pulled out bows and began to pelt the survivors. As one of the guards was felled by an arrow, Katya looked at the newcomer and said, "We need to get out of here."

As if on cue, the mage began to bombard the survivors with lightning and fire. With a groan, Katya created a powerful barrier that intercepted all of incoming missiles and elemental energy. "This won't hold for long," she stated. "Let's blow this joint."