Into the fray

JP with Bandorchu, Cindy, Omni, Lorem, Winteroak

Creed grove

For a few heartbeats no one moved. So surreal was the scene. An owl descended from the branches attacking the Preacher. A strange looking man dancing and shouting in a strange language. And an armoured woman racing to the sacrificial stone.

A few heartbeats it lasted until all hell broke loose. Some among the crowd recognised him as the man that came to the farm with the accursed Arbiter.

"Get him." Someone shouted and a few men raced at him pulling daggers from their belts.
Meanwhile Alexis rushed to get to the Preacher but the two men that had dragged Islana to the altar stood in her path, their hand axes held high.

The Preacher pulled the owl from his arm, breaking its wings. It's talons taking his flesh. His eyes searched for Islana who used the opportunity to roll away from the stone. "Suffer not the witch to live..." He told her raising his stone blade again.

Alexis did not slow down. In fact, not even a breath before she entered the attack range of the axe wielders, she sped up even more and went low, throwing off their timing.
She swung her blade at the man to her right, and her shield to the one on her left.

There would be no holding back this time.

Time to go! His internal alarm system went off as he noticed the initial shock fade and then turn to murderous intent. He began retreating keeping the danger in view and the distance the same. Then they started to run and he also did so.

As he ran he was shouting in his native language. He was trying to get them to follow him and wanted them to know where he was. He kept weaving between trees and brush, so any projectile weapon would miss its mark into a piece of nature instead. Serpentine, duck, dodge, dive, dip and dodge. He moved as swiftly as a rabbit being chased by a predator.

All the while he was leading them to the trees where he set up the trip wire design with his arm wrappings. When he reached them he just raised his knees a little higher than usual to clear it. In the dark at top speeds they would have difficulty spotting them, especially if they were trying to keep tabs on him with all his weaving behind obstacles that made him harder to track.

Islana suddenly heard.....was that Gonyaul? She was on the ground and couldn't see but in a another split second, it seemed Alexis was there.
Islana took the momentary distraction to roll away from the stone but was distracted by the disgusting site of the owl's wings being broken.

The Preacher came closer, Islana didn't take time to think about it, she used the moment to kick her legs up kicking the man, as hard as she could, right between his legs.

Chaos erupted in the clearing, angry voices raised, moving towards the stone. Others fearful that they had been found with the executions in mind. Were the soldiers coming for them? Had they been found?

The man to Alexis’ right went down in a spray of blood. To her left, her shield met her mark with the sickening crunch of breaking bones.
Alexis didn’t care for either, proceeding her charge towards the Preacher, who was reeling back from Islana’s well placed kick.

She swung at him, for now aiming to make him back away, so she could place herself between him and Islana, giving the younger woman the second she needed to get up from the ground.

Islana took the moment Alexis gave her to stand. And run towards the bodies of the guards on the ground she was looking for a weapon, any weapon she could legitimately lift and use. Axes were likely to be too heavy, she had no idea how to use a sword which meant that taken one of those would likely be too dangerous. She wanted to hurt the Preacher not Alexis.

She quickly found a knife and grabbed it. Islana took the opportunity while the man was still distracted to run behind the Preacher and throw the knife into his back, as he wasn't wearing a shirt.

The redhead knew it wouldn't really wound the Preacher but it would also likely distract him enough to help Alexis out.

The Preacher reeled back from the attacks and the wound as his back. He felt a trickled of blood run down his back. "Grab her." he ordered anyone who would listen to get hold of Islana but turned to face the more dangerous opponent in Alexis. He pulled his axes from his belt and jumped towards the mercenary bring down his weapons in an arc against her shield. As she raised it to protect herself form the blades he kicked at it sending Alexis down.

One of the cultists in the clearing let out a guttural sound as a gleaming blade pierced her chest. Moonlight reflected off of the slick silver that was streaked in blood. “Infidels!”

The Arbiter pulled her blade back and kicked the woman onto the ground.

As she walked into the glade, four other cultists blocked her path from the preacher who was already battling with… Alexis Greyriver? and… a redhaired girl she had noticed leaving the apothecary.

Alexis went with the momentum, rolling away from the Preacher’s follow-up attack, getting back on one knee. From this position, she launched her counter attack, aiming low.

The realization made Voah worry less about this being a suicidal mission. It was Voah’s duty to snuff out these heretics, especially the preacher, but she knew Alexis could handle herself and would be honoured to have a companion take care of the Preacher. May the Pillars preserve her.

Voah ducked and spun her blade in a half circle, trying to reach the legs of the surrounding cultists, two of which jumped backward to avoid the slash.

The others took the blows but it was not enough to fell any of them.